This week we revisit a favorite recipe of ours: Beef Short Ribs braised in coffee, chilies, and wine.
This recipe involves browned short ribs braised in coffee, chili, wine, garlic, and dried peppers. This is arguably the dish that got us into cooking. We learned that making something great doesn't need too many ingredients or fancy techniques.
The recipe video can be found here. It was first popularized by "The Minimalist" Mark Bittman. Take a look at his recipes and column for more inspiration on simple but powerful dishes.
Our take on the "luxurious and sensual" dish below:
Dan's Version and Comments
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This dish is as always, fantastic. Mo and I once cooked this dish before, the only difference is, it is better the second time.
Make sure to adequately season your short ribs prior to browning (salt and pepper). Doing this will create a more crispy outside, which will be quite heavenly when combined with the tender/soft inside.
The difference between the first time we cooked this dish and this time, besides not being together, excuse me, I need a moment...okay, back. The difference is that I actually let it reduce down longer. What I did not show you is that when you reduce it down more you are left with all that caramelized goodness on the bottom. Slather that all over a crostini and your life will never be the same.
Now for some tips regarding the brusell sprouts. Make sure to peel back all those initial layers. Doing this will ensure that your brusell sprouts are nice and crispy!
Woah. Don't shy away from the idea of adding coffee to short ribs. I don't know what happens, but when mixed with the wine, chili, and garlic something magical happens.
My advice would be to make sure the beef is browned well. Don't worry about the fat-- it cooks off pretty well throughout the braising process. Add more dried chilies (with seeds) if you like things spicy. Lastly, towards the end of cooking the short ribs uncover your pot and let the liquid reduce a little.
Till next week!
