LUXOMME

 HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!

Two years ago, for St. Patricks, I made the most delicious Lavender Matcha Cheesecake, but between the two of us, green food isn't really my thing.

So we're going to try something different; namely Red Wine Braised Short Ribs, which in my opinion sounds like a very good celebratory meal. 

This is one of my go-to recipes whenever I'm entertaining. 

It's presentable, but also easy to prepare and make ahead of time - giving me moments to socialize with my guests when they arrive. It's also a richer twist on the french beef stew (which is also absolutely divine) and you pretty much can't go wrong with anything french.

There's essentially three components to this dish; the braising liquid, the vegetables, and the meat.

Choosing a few of our favorite veggies, we coarsely chop everything up into smaller pieces to set aside for later use.

Once your vegetables are prepped and ready to go, it's time to flash sear the short ribs to impart some flavor to the meat through caramelization, and also to lock in moisture.

A quick sizzle on each side and they come out looking like this. 

It's quite tempting to grab a plate and forgo the braising time to eat it as it right then and there, but you must resist! 

Trust me, it's worth it.

The seared short ribs leave behind the juiciest oils which are perfect for sauteing the vegetables which we prepped earlier. 

We throw the ribs on top of the vegetables and mix in a few of my favorite spices; a dab of tomato paste, a sprinkle of rosemary, a light spray of thyme, and a spot of peppercorns.

Of course, salt and pepper is a must.

We give all the components a gentle stir and make sure everything is incorporated, then fill the pot halfway to the top with unsalted broth (beef, chicken or vegetable!). 

Lastly, we take the fruitiest red wine we can get our hands on, and generously douse everything in it. 

The more wine the better!

After you've tweaked the broth to perfection, we set the oven to 325 F and gently place our entire pot inside. 

This is when all the magic happens.

For dramatic purposes, we have a before and after pic - because everyone loves those. 

Above is the dish before it's been subjected to gentle heat for four hours, allowing the meat to slowly soften while soaking up the red and all the other flavors we've added. 

Below is the dish after it's been braised for four hours.

#transformationthursdays anyone?

After removing the pot from the oven, we proceed to set aside the fully cooked short ribs and strain out the vegetables and spices we've added to the braising liquid. 

This leaves behind the most concentrated and intense beef broth ever.

Basically liquid gold.

Because we're greedy and want more flavor, the broth is then reduced for 20 minutes under high heat until all the water evaporates and we are left with the thickest and most decadent gravy that is bound to render your guests speechless.

Taking the short ribs we removed earlier, we gently toss them in the reduced gravy, before serving it on top of a bed of mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Ingredients can be swapped in and out at your convenience. I generally throw out the vegetables that were used to braise the ribs and cook up a new batch to serve to my guests. A full bodied wine generally pairs fairly well, but a light fruity red also helps cut into the richness of the dish. Anything goes, just don't use anything expensive unless you're feeling particularly luxurious.

The potatoes are basically a vehicle for the sauce and a standard garlic paprika mash, but I've included my vegetable medley recipe, which I've tweaked to optimize the pairing with the ribs.

One hour of prep and three hours of braising time later, what you are serving to your guests is a rich 'fall of the bone' rib, smothered in a red wine based gravy. Pair it with fluffy mashed potatoes and a medley of fresh vegetables, and you've got yourself a quick and indulgent meal that's guaranteed to wow your guests, or at the very least put everyone into a food coma. 

naomi

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On the Menu Tonight

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

4-5 lbs of Short Ribs

2 Tbs Coconut Oil

3 Stalks of Celery

2 Medium Onions

4 Cloves of Garlic

6 Carrots

2 Cups Chicken Broth

1/2 Bottle of Red Wine

1 Tbs Rosemary

1 Tbs Thyme

2 Tbs Tomato Paste

1/2 Tbs Peppercorn

Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Vegetable Medley

2 Zucchinis

3 Carrots

2 Sweet Onions

1 Bunch of Kale

1 Cup of Braising Liquid (before reduction)

1 Tbs butter

I was trying to think of a clever name for this post, but there's nothing really. My creative juices have dried up. 

Thankfully, my love for food hasn't.

It's been a while since I've done a cooking post, although by the end of the post, you'll see that this is more fermenting than cooking. 

This dish isn't actually from Hong Kong (where I'm from), but Korea - so I don't vouch for the authenticity, but as someone who can eat a whole tub of this in a sitting, I promise you it's delicious. 

For those of you who have never tried this A) You're completely missing out, B) You'll never look at cabbage the same way again.

But what exactly is Kimchi?

Well.

According to trusty Wikipedia, it is a traditional fermented side dish made from vegetables and a variety of seasonings, with tons of different combinations. It is generally eaten with many meals and can also be incorporated in more complex dishes like stews and fried rice. In fact, it's such a large part of the meal, some families even have a designated kimchi fridge just for storing this deliciousness.  It's also a very tedious process, which is why families will generally make this in large batches. Because I don't have time to make a whole football field's worth of kimchi, we're doing a mini version with just one head!

I could go on forever, but I think you should read the wikipedia page instead so we can go ahead and actually make this!

The main star of today's recipe is napa cabbage, which can be purchased at most stores. 

We carefully clean and trim the leaves, then halve the vegetables so it's easier to handle and season. 

Because kimchi is a fermented and preserved dish, it's meant to keep for a long long time. Or rather, because we want to keep it for a long long time, we ferment it. Actually, scratch that. I'm not sure. That's confusing. 

Either way, we begin by salting the cabbage to draw water out of the leaves. I used one medium head of cabbage for this recipe and a quarter cup of salt. 

We make sure that the entire vegetable is submerged in the salt water and then leave it to sit for a few hours!

Once you're done with your coffee run, cleaning the house, or 3 episodes of Madame Secretary (which is my current favorite!), the cabbage is ready to be rinsed. 

At this point, the leaves should be wilted and look something like this.

I find that the sauce has difficulty adhering to the leaves, so I like to add a little something extra. Namely, shredded carrots and apples, just to give the kimchi a bit of sweetness. 

Some recipes will call for radish, green onions, or chives, but I don't have any of that lying around.

(mind you, this isn't the most authentic version)

This red paste is made of a smorgasbord of different umami ingredients; red pepper flakes, shrimp paste, anchovies, garlic, ginger, onion. 

More on that later. 

Before I season my leaves, I'll mix the paste with the carrots and apples first.

Then slowly, layer by layer, the mixture is generously applied delicately to each leaf. 

A few moments later, you are left with something bright red, healthy and absolutely delicious.

The last (and perhaps most important part) is the fermentation where the sugars in the vegetables will (in the absence of oxygen) turn into acid.  This is a process that will impart a tangy sweetness to the kimchi and is done by placing the kimchi in an airtight jar, traditionally an Onggi, which is a clay jar. I only have a glass one so that will have to do.

This is the part that requires the most patience as it is the most time consuming. Taking the prepared kimchi and sealing it in an airtight jar, you'll then let it sit out at room temperature until it reaches the desired fermented taste and then throw it in the fridge to store for a longer period of time. 

Each person will make kimchi in a slightly different way that changes the taste ever so slightly, but I encourage you to experiment and figure out what works best for you! More detailed instructions and the science behind perfect kimchi is detailed here.

All these colorful vegetables are getting me super pumped for Spring, excited for the warmer weather ahead and more delicious recipes to come!

naomi

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Luxomme's Kimchi Recipe

Ingredients

1 Medium head of Napa Cabbage

1/4 Cup Kosher Salt

2.5 Cups Shredded Carrot

4 Shredded Autumn Glory Apples

Red Pepper Sauce 

3 Tbs Sweet Rice Flour

1.5 Cups Red Pepper Flakes

1/3 Cup Anchovy Sauce

1/3 Cup Shrimp Sauce

2 Tbs Sugar

1 Tbs Garlic

1 Tbs Ginger

Hello from Hong Kong!

 I've been in Asia for approximately 3 weeks now, and it's been a fabulous adventure so far. Although the heat and humidity were difficult at first, I think I'm finally beginning to slowly adjust. Of course, all the activities have help. My trip so far has mainly consisted of me eating, walking, sightseeing, then eating some more. One of my first meals here in +852 was at this delicious restaurant called Shanghai Popo.  One of Tiffany's friends was in Hong Kong at the same time we were, and found this restaurant on openrice, which is a popular food review site in HK.

I'm a bit of a sucker for Shanghai food, namely their nian gao and delicious dumplings. However, because of the heat outside, it's difficult to eat hot foods, so I opted for the tossed cold vegetarian noodles, while the other girls shared dan dan noodle and some xiao long baos. The noodles I had were delicately coated and deliciously springy. Best part were the vegetables, which is something I miss about Canada - mindbogglingly large bowls of hearty salads.

It's so nice to be back in this city after two years away. Although this trip is mainly work and errands, there are still pockets of times we have to enjoy ourselves. For those of you interested, this restaurant is located in iSquare and can be reached from the Tsim Tsa Tsui Metro. Menu can also be found in English, which is a lifesaver for Chinese-illiterate people like me.

naomi

Tender cubes of salmon tossed with a drizzle of sesame oil, a sprinkle of soy sauce and a generous pinch of ginger powder makes for a delicious and simple dinner. 

Ever since I started working, my dinner time doesn't happen till 9pm, sometimes later. I'm either famished at that point, or no longer have the appetite to eat anything. Today, I was feeling something in between those two options, so I decided to whip this up.

This last month has really been a month of going back to the basics for me, and revisiting things I've loved for a long time, but have forgotten about. During my little breather from work I've also been consciously trying to re-connect with people whom I've missed for a long time. Small things like picking up my violin again, swapping my Tay Tay for Italian opera, and ditching my coffee for green juice have also really pulled me back to where I was before everything started. I feel like I've made a lot of changes this year, most which have molded me into who I am today, and some that I'm ready to let go of. Starting with coffee. 

This season is almost over, I think it's time I go back to my roots. 

naomi