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Sunday Dinner Series

What is it about a perfectly cooked short rib that is so satisfying? Maybe it’s the texture or the marbled fat that gently melts into the dish as it simmers. Whatever it is makes it a favorite in my house.

This recipe was inspired by the first chilly morning we’ve had this fall. Pumpkin short rib pasta with fresh fettuccine. It’s a keeper and practically cooks itself. Here it is:

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs short ribs
sea salt/pepper to taste plus 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 large onion
1 cup baby carrots, whole
2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
3 cups chicken stock
8-10 oz fresh fettuccine
parmesan cheese, for grating

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Turn up the heat on an oven-safe dutch oven to high. (You could also brown the spare ribs and put all the ingredients in a crock pot.) Generously salt and pepper ribs and add them to the hot, dry pan. Sear until browned on all sides. Cut the onion into large chunks and add to the pot. Add the carrots, pumpkin puree and chicken stock. Add the allspice, paprika and additional 1/2 tsp of salt. Cover and place in the center of the oven. Turn down to 275 F after 15 minutes. Let simmer for 2 1/2 hours or until fall-off-the-bone tender. Put on water to boil for the pasta. Salt the water generously. Carefully remove the pot from the oven and set the short ribs only on a platter to cool slightly. Shred the meat, discarding the bones, etc. Put the liquid and vegetables (carefully) in a food processor. Buzz until smooth. Add fresh pasta to boiling water. Boil for 2-3 minutes until tender. Add shredded meat, sauce and drained pasta to a large bowl. Toss and serve with grated parmesan.

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Sweet, sour, slightly spicy, and a touch of sea salt

Florida offers a plethora of ingredients, some of which are largely ignored. That was true of rock shrimp, although the folks at Dixie Crossroads in Titusville would probably disagree. They’ve been serving rock shrimp for years.

For the rest of us, it was hard to come by until it began being sold to consumers at grocery stores and we are lucky to have them. Slightly sweeter than Gulf shrimp, these beauties are more akin to langostinos than shrimp.

Here’s a recipe as an ode to treasure rock shrimp. You can toss this together in ten minutes and have it on the table.

Ingredients

1 lb peeled, deveined rock shrimp
1 package of stir fry vegetables (mine contained mushrooms, two kinds of cabbage, carrots, broccoli, red peppers and more)
1 tsp sesame oil
2 TB Chai Teriyaki Sauce from Intensity Academy
1/2 tsp fine sea salt, plus a pinch
30 turns of ground black pepper or chipotle black pepper (which is what I used)
1 pasteurized egg yolk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/2 TB fresh lemon juice
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 TB vegetable oil (for the aioli)
1 TB capers
slice of lemon for garnish (optional)

Method

In a large frying pan or stir fry pan, add the sesame oil and heat over high heat. When good and hot, add the vegetables. Stir to coat and leave for a minute. Add 1 TB of the teriyaki. Stir again and cover for three minutes. Season the shrimp with 1/2 tsp sea salt and the chipotle or black pepper. Add the shrimp to the pan. Stir. Add another TB of the teriyaki and stir. Cover for two minutes. In a bowl add egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice, pinch of salt and cayenne. Whisk together and SLOWLY drizzle in the vegetable oil until it is a rather thick, sauce consistency. Add the capers and the lemon zest. Stir to incorporate.
Plate the stir fry and drizzle the aioli over the top. The flavors blend well.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

Eric Deggans, St. Petersburg Times’ Media Critic talks to Food Nation Radio Network. Did Dr. Oz unnecessarily alarm parents about the possibility of arsenic in apple juice? Interview with Eric Deggans, St. Petersburg Times

What DO those stickers mean?

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There are truly innumerable motivations behind creating and maintaining an eatery… love of food, passion for people, artistic expression, cultural enrichment, etc, etc. Naturally, a grand mesh of such driving forces lies at any restaurant’s core. That being said, often times, when an establishment does not necessarily match with our preconceived expectations, a diner may step away with jumbled judgments concerning said restaurant’s intentions; thus was my primary experience with Agave.

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A Growing Trend Among Chefs:

Hunting Down Tonight’s Menu
Chefs are packing heat. Something to think about the next time you send a dish back to the kitchen.

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Good Mood Food

Someone once said that if a little pill can affect your body, imagine what an entire chicken does to it. There are others who claim certain foods have certain effects that might be desirable on say, Valentine’s Day, for instance. I felt compelled (a duty, if you will) to investigate this matter fully. My husband, usually only mildly interested in things I write about, felt very strongly that this topic should be explored for all the inquiring minds out there that wonder about aphrodisiacs. In fact, he’s mentioned it several times since…

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