Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Date with a Pig


A couple of years ago my mom came to town for a weekend visit and we ate dinner at Milk and Honey, a tapas restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara. After two different friends highly recommended we order the "Date with a Pig" we, of course, could not resist. Simply, a date wrapped in bacon and drizzled with honey, it was amazingly delicious. We even ordered a second helping after devouring the first dish that came out. 


Could I recreate the Date with a Pig at home? After much experimentation I have concluded that they must deep fry their bacon wrapped dates; I just couldn't get it exactly right in an oven no matter what I tried. However, my version is pretty darn good and I love bringing these little babies to parties. 

Ingredients:
  • 10 dates, cut in half lengthwise with the pits removed
  • 10 strips of thick cut bacon, cut in half to make 20 short pieces
  • salt
  • honey
  • 20 toothpicks, soaked in water for 20 minutes
  1. Wrap each date with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. 
  2. Place on a sheet pan and sprinkle with salt.
  3. Cook for 20 minutes at 350. Turn over and cook for another 10-20 minutes, or until bacon is crispy. 
  4. Allow to cool slightly and serve drizzled lightly with honey. 



Monday, October 10, 2011

Italian Style Braised Short Ribs


These rich Italian style braised short ribs will impress your diners, but also impart a sense of comfort. Although it takes a long time to braise, the hands-on cooking time is not long at all. It can also be served a variety of ways. I usually serve the short ribs over creamy Parmesan polenta, but it would be good as a sauce for cheese tortellini or along side some garlic mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:
  • 2 lbs beef short ribs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 6 cloves of fresh garlic
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • fresh herbs: thyme, bay leaf, and/or rosemary
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • salt and pepper
  • Parmesan for garnish
  1. Preheat oven to 250. 
  2. Rub short ribs with salt. In large pot, sear ribs in olive oil. Do in batches in necessary. 
  3. Set meat aside. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to pot and brown well. Add in tomato paste, wine, and beef stock, and deglaze pot. Bring to a simmer. 
  4. Tie herbs together with a string and add to the pot. Add back in ribs, cover, and place in oven. 
  5. Cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and cook for another hour. The meat should be very tender.
  6. Remove the meat from the pot and cut into portions or shred if being used as a sauce. 
  7. Remove the herbs, and using an immersion blender, puree the vegetables and liquid. Simmer to reduce if necessary. Add back in the meat and season to taste. Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan.
To make a creamy Parmesan polenta, follow instructions on package of instant polenta. I used 1/4 cup instant polenta to 1 cup water and this makes 2 servings. Add in 2 tablespoons of cream and 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan. Salt to taste. 

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Not-So-French Dip


A French dip is a simple sandwich of thinly sliced roast beef on a baguette or french roll that is dipped in beef "jus." It's origins are not French at all, but has it's roots in Los Angeles, California. According to Philippe of Philippe's restaurant, a policeman eating a roast beef sandwich "saw some gravy in the bottom of a large pan of roast meat. He asked me if I would mind dipping one side of the French roll in that gravy. I did, and right away five or six others wanted the same." And so was born the beef dip sandwich. Philippe's was affectionately called Frenchy's and so the beef dip soon became known as the French dip.


I like to braise tri-tip for my French dip sandwiches. If you aren't from California then you might not be familiar with this cut, but you can ask your butcher for part of the triangle muscle from the bottom sirloin. It is a lean muscle so there is usually a cap of fat attached to the tri-tip. I remove this as braising will keep the meat moist enough.

Ingredients:

  • approx 1.5 lb tri-tip with fat cap removed
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 6 crusty French rolls
  • horseradish, optional
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Rub tri-tip with salt and pepper. 
  3. Sear both sides of the tri-tip in olive oil over high heat in large pan. 
  4. Pour beef stock over tri-tip, deglazing the pan and scrapping up the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan. Place pan in oven, uncovered. Cook for approx 45 minutes or until meat is cooked to 145 degrees, turning half way through. For well done, cook to 155 degrees. 
  5. Remove tri-tip from jus and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Set jus aside and toast bread while waiting for meat to rest. 
  6. Thinly slice tri-tip and place in toasted bread, served with jus on the side. For a little kick, serve with horseradish.