Cranberry-Bourbon Meatballs
Make these cranberry-bourbon meatballs and win #friendsgiving. They are sweet, tangy, and SO easy to make! Simply dump it all into a crockpot and walk away for a couple of hours. The best part? You’ll probably need to buy a whole bottle of bourbon which means you’ll have leftovers! Cheers!
But seriously, these meatballs are SO easy and use ingredients you probably have in your house already. If you’re unfamiliar with sambal oelek, it is a red chili paste readily available in most grocer stores. I don’t find it overly spicy and all the other ingredients really mellow it out.
You’ll notice I used frozen premade meatballs for this and that’s because around the holidays, I try to keep things easy. Could you make your own? Of course! For some, however, the idea of making meatballs in addition to everything else this time of year brings is just too much, so grab your favorite bag of meatballs and let the crockpot do the work.
Ingredients
1 bag cranberries
1/2 c bourbon
1/4 c orange juice
1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c sambal oelek
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 bag frozen meatballs
Directions
Combine everything but the meatballs in a crockpot set to high. Stir well and allow the sauce to cook for an hour before gently mashing the berries with a wooden spoon or potato masher.
Add the frozen meatballs and stir to coat evenly. If the sauce looks too thick, add a little liquid (water, broth, or bourbon). Cover and allow everything to cook for another hour or until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are hot throughout. Serve immediately or keep warm.
Grilled Steak and Cucumber Salad
One of my favorite ways to dress up a cheaper cut of steak is to marinate it in this marinade. The sauce is a little spicy, a little sweet, salty, and has a little funk thanks to the fish sauce. It is a versatile marinade and suitable for everything from chicken and steak to vegetables. The sugar in the recipe gives whatever you grill and nice char, adding to the depth of flavor.
This recipe calls for Sambal Oleek, a chili paste that has become pretty ubiquitous in grocery stores. It is typically in the Asian food aisle near the sriracha. I love it because it packs enough heat to be worthwhile but not so much that you’re going to burn someone’s head off. When I’m cooking for the whole family I have to make considerations like heat and spice tolerance but this little paste seems to please all palates.
The last month has been absolutely insane. When I took over managing the family business last year, I never imagined I would face a challenge like the one we are in now. I have spent the last three months consumed by all things COVID as we operate our restaurant safely.
Fortunately, Anthony and our animals have been with me while I get through everything from painting boats and hiring staff, to navigating our COVID policies. It’s been a very challenging and daunting time but having my little family here has helped ease my nerves.
One last thing before I share the recipe. I feel it would be wrong not to express my deepest grief and anguish at all the pain in the country right now. From those frightened by the corona-virus pandemic to those bravely fighting and demanding social justice, I see you, I respect you, and you are valid in my eyes. I have a tremendous amount of privilege and it is my sincere intent to use it to lift others up. As a white gay man, I have directly benefited from the bravery and grit shown by black trans women and so many others. Without brave people like Marsha P Johnson, it is likely that Anthony and I would not be married and we would still be living in a society that forces people like us to hide who we are. I have spent time reflecting and questioning my own perceptions and continue to educate myself.
With that, here’s the beef:
Grilled Steak and Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
For the Steak
1/4 c fish sauce
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 T brown sugar
1 T sambal oleek
1/4 c soy sauce
2-inch nub of ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
2lbs steak
For the Cucumbers
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 T fish sauce
1 T soy sauce
1 T gochujang
1 large seedless cucumber, sliced 1/2 inch
1 shallot, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Pour everything into a large ziplock bag and add the meat. Place the bag in the refrigerator and allow it to marinate for at least two hours but preferably overnight.
For the cucumbers, combine the lime zest and juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, and gochujang in a large bowl and whisk until everything is evenly combined. Toss with the cucumbers and usually and season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate.
To cook the meat, remove the bag from the refrigerator and allow it to rest about 20 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, light the grill.
Grill the steak to desired doneness, I prefer to cook my steak to medium rare so it doesn’t dry out.
Slice the steak against the grain and serve with the cucumbers over steamed rice.
Asian Braised Short Ribs
Comfort food still reigns supreme in our home. Despite my best efforts and New Year’s Resolutions (HA remember those?!) rice, pasta, and other comfort foods have been flooding my kitchen table for weeks now. I try to eat a salad a day for lunch but when dinner comes around, I want soft, comforting food that tastes like a hug from my mom.
These short ribs do just that. These may not have been in my mom’s rotation as a kid but soft, tender meat that’s been simmered for hours is comfort food at its finest. Anything with a liberal amount of fat, starch, and salt will do for me, just don’t tell my doctor.
As the middle of May gets closer, I’m feeling a sense of urgency to savor every moment I have left with Anthony before I leave for the summer. Running the family business is something I wouldn’t trade for anything but it comes with a unique set of challenges like being away from your spouse and home for almost half the year. Sure, he comes up and visits when he can but for the most part, our life together is put on the hold for months.
One thing that does help with the impending separation is savoring each moment. We’ve been spending a lot of time taking walks together in the woods, working on projects around the house, and just enjoying the little moments we take for granted - waking up together in our own home, snuggling on the couch, sitting by the fire in our back yard.
What makes short ribs so delicious is the marbled fat they sport. Coaxing the flavor out of these over the course of several hours yields meat that is addictively tender and succulent. The liquid that the ribs braise in is equally as delicious. The combination of soy, sugar, lime juice, and broth results in a liquid that is sweet, salt, sour, and spicy all at once, and as the meat breaks down, the fat from the ribs gives the liquid a full-bodied presence that is fulfilling and velvety.
I use Chinese Five Spice Powder in this recipe but if you don’t have any in your spice drawer, make some using cinnamon, cloves, ginger, fennel, and star anise. It is basically apple pie spice with a kick and works really well with all the other flavors in this dish.
Asian Braised Short Ribs
Ingredients
2lbs Short Ribs
3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons five-spice powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2-inch ginger nub, grated
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sriracha
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 cups broth
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350
Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and five-spice powder in a bowl and stir to combine. Dredge the short ribs in the flour mixture so they are evenly coated, tapping them to discard any excess.
In a large, oven-safe pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once it is hot and shimmering, brown the short ribs on all sides, about 1 or 2 minutes per side. Work in batches if necessary, do not crowd the pan or the ribs won’t brown!
Remove the ribs from the pot and add the onions and saute until they are soft. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant - 30 seconds to one minute.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the soy sauce, sriracha, brown sugar, and brown sugar. Add the mixture to the onions and bring to a simmer.
Add the ribs back to the pot and cover. Move everything to the oven and bake for 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender and easily releases from the bone.
Garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro and serve with steamed rice.
Corned Beef and Kimchi Sandwiches
It is amazing how quickly life can change. While I was working on this recipe over the weekend, Anthony questioned whether or not people would know where to buy kimchi. I laughed and told him every grocery store in America carries kimchi and that these ingredients would be SO simple to find. Fast forward to last night at the grocery store and it is an image all too familiar in America; empty shelves, panicked shoppers, stressed-out parents, and wide-eyed clerks.
In light of all the scary things that are happening in the world, life does move on and we adapt. Some friends from college and I spent two hours last night on a zoom call, we dubbed it our “digital happy hour”. It was the first time we had all been together since my wedding in 2018 and I didn’t realize it at the time but I really needed it, even if I did drink too much.
In the spirit of progress, I’m sharing this recipe. If you have everything at your house, awesome. If you don’t please just save this for our post-pandemic life. Don’t leave your house unless you really need to. The kimchi cuts through the fattiness of the corned beef with hits of heat and funk. I had a little leftover corned beef this morning so I made this again. It was a weird breakfast but tasted so good and I’d like to think that the punch of probiotics is keeping me healthy.
Corned Beef and Kimchi Panini
Ingredients
4 Rye Bread
Mayonaise
4 slices Swiss Cheese
Leftover Corned Beef, shredded
Kimchi
Directions
Heat a skillet over medium-high and spread some mayonnaise on one side of each piece of bread.
TO build the sandwich, place a piece of bread in the skillet, greased side down. Lay cheese, corned beef, kimchi, cheese, bread. place a piece of foil over the sandwich a place another heavy skillet on top of it to compressed the sandwich. Toast until each side is golden brown.
Transfer the sandwich to a plate and allow it to rest for one minute. slice and serve.
Better Corned Beef and Cabbage
The last time I checked, there are close to 20 million results for “corned beef and cabbage” on Google. With so many options out there, does the world really need another recipe for this iconic dish? Probably not. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I’ve taken some time to reflect on some of my favorite methods and pulled techniques together to make, what I believe, is a better-corned beef and cabbage dinner.
First, use your slow cooker. I know, everyone has an InstantPot these days and they are awesome. Hear me out, your slow cooker was made for this recipe. It has been waiting, patiently, to braise this salty, cured, tough cut of meat its whole life. Not only is it the best tool for the job, but it also means you can leave your house while it is doing most of the work for you.
Second, this is purely a personal choice and you do not have to follow it but, use a flat-cut piece of meat rather than a tip. This can be a thorny issue as I’ve seen online and both cuts have their merits but in my opinion, the leaner, flat cut beef is far superior. One of the things I dislike about corned beef is that the fat is always slimy and gelatinous and it just grosses me out.
Third, use your broiler! When I make steak inside, I use the reverse sear method - cook it in the oven and then sear it on the stove before serving. You can use the same method with corned beef and your broiler. This will give the beef a crispy exterior and maintain that tender, juicy interior.
Finally, while you’re more than welcome to stick with tradition and boil everything together, take a chance and be different. I opted for roasted my cabbage but kept the potatoes and carrots in the braising liquid. Why? Because I love how soft and pillowy the root vegetables get and roasted cabbage gives the humble vegetable a totally different flavor and texture. Of course, you can boil that too. Remember, there are no rules, merely suggestions!
A couple more tips
Bloom your spices before you start braising. This is a trick I learned while making Vietnamese and Thai food. Toss your spices in a skillet and gently toast them until they are aromatic - about 1 minute.
Don’t forget to rest! Rest the corned beef for at least 10 minutes before slicing it. This will give the meat time to cool and for the juices to really soak in. You’ve already waited all day for this moment, what’s another 10 minutes?
Hopefully, we can all enjoy St Patty’s Day in light of the recent coronavirus outbreak. In times of great need and calamity, sometimes you just need soft comforting food. Enjoy and wash your hands.
Better Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
2 1/2 lb corned beef brisket
4 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped, quartered
2 cloves garlic, smashed
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 T peppercorns
2 T coriander seeds
6 oz beer
1 lb baby potatoes, washed and halved
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 head cabbage, cored and quartered
Directions
Bloom the spices by tossing them in a dry skillet and toast until aromatic, about 1 minute.
Place the corned beef, spices, potatoes, turnips, and carrots in a slow cooker. Add the beer and enough water to barely cover the meat. Don’t worry if the vegetables float on top. Set the slow cooker to low and cook 8 hours or until the beef is tender.
About an hour before the beef is ready, preheat the oven to 400 and arrange the cabbage in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
When the beef is done, take it out of the liquid and transfer to a sheet pan with the fatty side up. Turn the broiler to high. Broil the beef until the top is crispy, about 3 minutes.
Slice the corned beef against the grain and serve with vegetables and mustard.
Beef Rendang
One of the perks of marrying Anthony is that I have learned so much about his mother’s heritage and side of the family. Anthony’s mom, Hayat, was born in Yemen and is a citizen of Singapore. She’s a fiery little woman with a very direct personality but one of the most caring and loving people I know. On a recent trip to Singapore, I asked her to bring me a cookbook and any ingredients she didn’t think I’d be able to find here in Maine. When she returned, she gave me a great cookbook on Indonesian cooking and recipes. I’ve had it for a few years and have managed to take some traditional recipes, tweak them a bit to work with what’s available here in Maine. Beef Rendang (pronounced: ren-dawn) is one of my favorite recipes I’ve developed from this cookbook and I am making it this year for Hayat’s birthday.
Indonesian cooking is a great medley of flavors and techniques because of its geographic location. Beef Rendang is believed to have been an adaptation of Indian curry when Indian spice merchants came through the area and the locals adapted to the recipe. “Rendang” means slowly which makes sense as this dish does take some time. This dish is heavily spiced and cooked slowly over an entire day until you end up with tender, aromatic beef that melts in your mouth.
Beef Rendang
Ingredients
6 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 bay leaves
2 lbs stew beef
2 cans coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock
Directions
In a dutch oven or large pot, heat a little oil and saute the shallots until soft, about 3 minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, chili powder, cinnamon and bay leaves and cook until aromatic. About 2 minutes
Add the beef to the pot and stir to coat. Add the coconut milk and chicken stock, stirring to combine. Cover with a heavy lid and simmer over medium heat 6-7 hours or until the meat is tender.
Serve with rice and garnish with lime and cilantro.