Braised Country Style Ribs in Red Wine Sauce

My husband and I went to Philadelphia for the 4th of July weekend last year. We took in all the sights and sounds that we possibly could while we were there.

We had decided to walk to the Eastern State Penitentiary, an old prison which was open from 1829 to 1921, which housed criminals such as Al Capone and Willie Sutton. It is now a museum, but roaming the halls still gives one the intense feel of being incarcerated, but I digress...

Al Capone's cell, as it was at the time of his incarceration

It was hot, and my husband and I decided to pop into a local tavern for a little refreshment. We bellied up to the bar and ordered a couple of pints. The bartender placed a menu before us when she brought our libations, and although we weren't hungry yet, we browsed through the culinary masterpieces that the bar's chef had to offer. Yes, I said, "culinary masterpieces". In. A. Bar. Tim and I decided at that moment to come back later on for dinner.

I ordered the braised ribs, and when they arrived, my mouth experienced the most wonderful flavor of my life! I thought about that meal for days afterward. I HAD to replicate this recipe. This is what I came up with, and it is pretty darned close. I'm willing to bet Al Capone would approve.

Braised Country Style Ribs in Red Wine Sauce

Time: 4 1/2 hours

Active: 30 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Level: Easy

Ingredients

4 lbs beef ribs

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 can beef broth

1 bottle red wine

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 250°

Preheat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Drizzle in olive oil and brown ribs on all sides, 2-3 minutes each. Don't crowd the pan, and work in batches, removing browned ribs to a plate until all are finished. 

In the same pan, add onions and garlic, stirring frequently until translucent, 4-5 minutes.

Pour in beef broth and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour in the bottle of red wine and bring to a boil. When the liquid is boiling, add ribs back to the pot and cover. Place the covered dish into the preheated oven and let it cook for 3 1/2 hours.

After 3 1/2 hours, remove from the oven and put it back on the stove top,  on medium-high heat, for 30 minutes more, or until liquid reduces by 1/3.

Serve with sauce drizzled over the ribs and over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. 

And a bottle of good, red wine.

If you try this, let me know about it! Leave your comments below. I'd love to hear from you!

Grilled Lemon Parsley Tilapia

 My grill gets a lot of use during the Spring and Summer months, and I am always trying to find something other than burgers and dogs to cook over the fire. I was lucky enough to find whole tilapia at Sam's Club on Friday. I couldn't wait for the opportunity to grill these beautiful fish! Here is the recipe!

Grilled Lemon Parsley Tilapia 

Time: 15 minutes prep

30 minutes cook time

45 minutes total

Level: Easy

Ingredients

Whole tilapia

Nonstick cooking spray (such as Pam)

Lemons (2 per fish), sliced 1/8" thick

Bunch Italian flat leaf parsley

Kosher salt

Directions

 Preheat the grill to medium.

 Wash each fish really well with COLD water. DO NOT use hot water. 

The fish will start to cook, and that is not what you want at this point. 

Make sure that all of the red is gone, as this will make the fish taste bitter. Dry well with a paper towel.

 Score the sides of the tilapia twice, about 1/8" deep. This will allow steam to escape the fish, and allow the lemon and salt flavors to penetrate the meat. 

Salt both sides as well as the cavity liberally. Stuff with lemon slices and parsley. Be generous.

 Lay out a section of aluminum foil approximately 2 1/2 times the length of the fish. Spray well with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Lay a bed of lemon slices on the foil, place the fish on the lemon slices. Cover with sliced lemon. 

Fold up ends of the foil and crimp each edge of the packet. Don't get too fancy with your folding. We will have to get back into the packet while it is still on the grill later on in order to take the temperature of the meat.

Place each packet, seam side down, onto the grates. Allow to cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the packet over gently. Allow to cook on the other side for 15 minutes more.

Open one side of the packet *CAREFULLY* STEAM IS HOT!!! Insert an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the fish. Fish is ready when the internal temperature reaches 145°.

Serve with lemon slices. Enjoy!

TIPS & TRICKS:
Learn how to debone a cooked fish with this guy's video!

DEBONING COOKED FISH by CUCINA

If you liked this recipe, please let me know below. If not, let me know that too! I want to hear from you!

Don't forget to share!

Corn & Black Bean Dip

Tomorrow is Summer Solstice, the first day of Summer, when the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Cancer, which is a line north of the equator.

It will also be the longest day of the year for those of us in the Northern hemisphere. We will see 15 full hours of daylight!

One of my friends and I will be celebrating Summer Solstice in Greensboro, NC tomorrow. This is a fun family event that takes place every year at Lindley Park. There are vendors of all types, dancing, music, food, and faeries galore! You can check out the website HERE!

Taken at Summer Solstice, Lindley Park, Greensboro 2011

The Summer season calls for Summer foods for all those picnics, barbecues, and Summer Solstice celebrations. I have a recipe for you that actually tastes like Summer!

Corn & Black Bean Dip

Time: 10 minutes

Level: Super Easy!

Ingredients

1 can yellow corn

1 can black beans

1 red onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 bunch fresh cilantro, torn into small pieces

1 lemon (or lime)

Directions

 Drain and rinse corn and black beans.

 Dice red onion, green pepper, and tear cilantro. 

 Put all ingredients in a 2 quart container. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon or lime over everything.

Stir together and refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour to give flavors time to "marry".

This is great served as a dip with pita chips, corn chips, or served on the side as a salad!

If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it in the comments! 

If you change things, let me know that too!

If you see me in Greensboro this weekend, say hi!  Enjoy your first day of Summer!

Swissburger Steak with Tomato Gravy and Roasted Russet Potatoes

There are a several people with whom I have been friends for most of my life, but I only see them from time to time. There are other friends who I see at least monthly, if not more often. Those are the people I enjoy seeing so much that I never get burned out from being around them. Friends and food are quite alike in this way.

I could never get burned out on rib eye steaks, cheeseburgers, and barbeque, but to avoid getting burned out on the "other" same old things day after day, I try to mix things up. I don’t like repeating a recipe more than a few times a year. There are so many dishes that work their way into our rotation and are a go-to when we don’t want to have to think about dinner. Sometimes mixing things up doesn’t take much effort at all. It only requires a simple change of one or two ingredients to make something brand new out of an old favorite.

Swissburger steak with Tomato Gravy and Roasted Russet Potatoes is one of those easy recipe changes. Just take the classic hamburger steak with mushroom gravy with mashed potatoes; swap out the mushroom gravy for diced tomato gravy, and trade the mash for roasted potatoes. A little Baby Swiss cheese melted on top gives this dish a step up the ladder.

Sprinkle a little fresh basil on top to wake up the palate, enhance the tomato flavor, and to give it an appearance boost!

 
I hope you enjoy.

Level: Easy

Total time:  45 min

Roasted Russet Potatoes

Ingredients

4 medium Russet potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

Pam Olive Oil Spray or Olive oil for drizzling

Kosher or Sea Salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°. 

Spread potatoes into one layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

 Roast in preheated oven 40 - 45 minutes until golden brown and fork tender. 



Swissburger Steak

Ingredients

2  lb. ground sirloin (80/20 is best)

1 egg, beaten

½ tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion, sliced with rings separated

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can beef broth

1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 

4 slices baby Swiss

1 Tbsp. fresh basil, torn into small pieces

1 old friend from high school to give his honest opinion of your recipe (optional but recommended)

Directions

Mix ground sirloin, egg, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and salt in large bowl. 
Shape into 4 (1/2 lb.) patties.

 Cook patties in large skillet over med high heat 4 to 5 minutes on each side until browned. Remove from pan. Saute onion in the rendered drippings until softened. 

Add tomatoes, beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. 

Simmer, stirring frequently until reduced by 1/3.

 Return patties to skillet and cover patties with tomato gravy.

 Cover and simmer 10 – 15 minutes, or until thermometer inserted into patties reads 160°.

 Place 1 slice of Swiss on each patty and simmer until cheese is melted.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving to allow the juices to redistribute. 
Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve with roasted potatoes. 

 Set the plated food down in front of an old friend who is willing to taste-test your new recipe. 

 

Elvis gives this one his seal of approval!

*Always cook ground beef  to an internal temperature of 160°. Well done is the only safe option for ground meats. The surface area gives bacteria a lot of little places to hide!