Author: cia

Beef with Oranges and Olives

Adapted from a Stinco di Agnello con Aranci e Olive Mario Batali recipe using lamb shanks.

Ingredients:
1 pound of boneless beef chuck roast
1 orange, cut into 8 wedges
zest of the orange
1/2 cup gaeta olives
1 red onion, chopped
2 tbsps rosemary
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 small can tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
olive oil, salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven at 375º.
2. Season beef with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil until smoking. Reduce the heat and brown beef until golden brown on both sides, in batches to avoid overcrowding. Transfer browned beef to a bowl.
3. Add onions, garlic and oranges to the pot until garlic is softened. Add rosemary, olives, wine, tomato sauce and stock and bring to a boil.
4. Add the beef back to the pot and bring to a boil again. Cover tightly and cook in the oven until beef is tender, about 1 hour or so.
5. Serve in a bowl, let the beef rest before topping with zest.

Amy Ruth’s Home-Style Southern Cuisine

113 West 116th Street between Lenox and Adam Clayton
212/280.8779
about $60 for two, without drinks, without tip

Chef Carl Redding opened the restaurant a year after his grandmother, Amy Ruth, passed away. They’re not kidding when they say that they offer home-style cooking because you can taste the love in their collard greens and in the gravy of their mashed potatoes. The honey-dipped fried chicken was to die for, flavorful both inside and out. I couldn’t have enough of the crispy skin and even the white meat was tasty.

I looked forward to ordering the spareribs but they were overdone; swimming in sauce and mushy like bad soup. I like my meat when they easily fall off the bone but I also like gnawing on some actual ribs, not softened bones.

They ran out of macaroni and cheese when we visited so we ordered a side of string beans instead which were so overcooked they weren’t crunchy nor buttery. Their fried okra was excellent but as soon as they cooled down, the batter became chewy and inedible. I had two slices of the corn bread and somehow, they made up for the restaurant’s shortcomings.

Beef Bourguignon

Adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients:
1 1/5 pounds of boneless beef chuck roast, cut into chunks
4 slices of bacon
4 small carrots, peeled and cut into smaller pieces
a handful of small red potatoes, peeled in the middle and boiled until half-cooked
crimini mushrooms and pearl onions, roasted
1 large onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 sprig of thyme
2 tbsps rosemary
1 sprig of parsley
1 cup of red wine
1 small can of tomato paste

1. In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-low heat until browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
2. Raise heat to medium and brown beef cubes in bacon fat, in batches to avoid overcrowding. Transfer browned beef to a bowl.
3. Bring to a boil 1/2 cup water in the same pot while loosening the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Reduce liquid to a few tablespoons.
4. Add garlic and onions. Cook until softened. Add tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add the beef back with the bacon, rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, about 2 hours. Add water to avoid drying up.
5. Add carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, pearl onions and parsley leaves until warm and carrots are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Mushrooms and Pearl Onions

Adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of crimini mushrooms, stems trimmed
1 small bag of pearl onions, peeled
1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425º. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss mushrooms with onions and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and browned, stirring halfway through.

Frisée and Pear Salad

Adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients:
mixed greens
1/2 cup of walnuts, toasted and crushed
1 Bartlett pear, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 tbsps sherry vinegar
olive oil, salt and pepper

1. Whisk vinegar and oil in a small glass bowl. Season with salt and pepper. In a larger bowl, combine mixed greens and pear with the dressing. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with walnuts before serving.