Recipe: Porcini Short Ribs and Basil Infused Mashed Potatoes

Porcini Short Ribs
4 bone in beef short ribs about 2-3 in thick
1 Carrot Chopped in ½ in pieces
1 Bag Porcini Mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped
1 can beef broth / stock
Olive oil
1 cups boiling water
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 long box of white mushrooms, sliced
1 beet, sliced
Salt
Pepper

1) Boil water and add to mushrooms to rehydrate, reserve liquid
2) Salt and Pepper the short ribs liberally
3) In a large dutch oven or soup pot, add some olive oil and brown the ribs on all sides (about 3-5 min per side)
4) Add the garlic and onions, cook til translucent, add some salt and pepper
5) Add the carrots, beets and mushrooms and let cook for 3-4 minutes, add some salt and pepper
6) Add the beef broth and mushroom water and bring to a boil
7) Let boil for 3 minutes then bring back to a simmer and season to taste.
8) Add the ribs back in and simmer on low for about an hour or so. You might need to add some more broth if the sauce gets too thick
9) Once done, remove the ribs again, try and spoon off some of the rendered oil and bring the sauce to a boil and let reduce til a nice consistency.
10) Mix some potato starch and hot water together in a bowl, drizzle into the sauce to make it thick. Bring back up to a simmer.
11) At this point the bones should be falling off the short ribs. Remove all the bones and tear apart the short rib meat until they're bite sized.
11) Add the rib meat back in and serve.

Basil Infused Mashed Potatoes
8 medium sized Red potatoes
2 tbsp butter
Handful of fresh basil leaves, slivered
1/2 cup milk
Salt
Pepper

1) Peel potatoes, cut into cubes, boil for 20 minutes
2) In separate pot, melt butter and throw in basil leaves and let it bubble for about a minute. Don't overcook!
3) Drain potatoes and in the same pot, drizzle the melted basil butter onto boiled potatoes. Add salt and pepper. Add milk.
4) Mash away.

To Serve:
Put a huge dollop of Mash in a plate, ladle on the Porcini Short Ribs, and dig in.

Chili con Carne - Winter favorites!

I recently cooked a batch of Chili con carne and brought it into my office - to the delight of a coworker of mine, who bought a bowl for $3.

This recipe will feed a small army of 8. Garnish it with chives or sour cream or shredded cheddar - I like mine over some rice.

Chili Con Carne
1 pound of ground chuck
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
14.5 ounce can of Hunt's Fire Roasted Tomatoes, diced
7 ounce can of Hunt's tomato sauce
6 ounce can of Cento tomato paste
19 ounce can of Progresso dark red kidney beans
if you like it really rich, add in another 14 ounce can of pink beans
1.14 ounce bottle of McCormick Chili Powder
Goya Adobo powder
Salt, Pepper
Garlic Powder

Preparations:

In a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, brown ground chuck and onions. Season at any time with 2 tablespoons of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of Adobo, 1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss in green and red bell peppers and fry for another minute before shutting off the flame.

In a soup pot over low heat, mix tomatoes, paste, sauce, beans, and one cup water. Pour in contents of your frying pan.

Simmer over low heat, stirring every 30 minutes, for about 1.5 hours.

Oh-so-deliciousness awaits!