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Braised Korean Short Ribs

There’s something about slow braised beef ribs that gets my mouth watering just thinking about them.  And smelling them cook? Oh no.  I can’t get anything else done until I eat them.  Short ribs that have been cooked low and slow, that literally fall off the bone and keep falling apart as you eat them make me crazy. 😜 When I was a kid, I remember my Mom cooking short ribs like this on the stove, simmering them for hours in a sauce similar to galbi (grilled Korean short ribs) or bulgogi (grilled sliced beef.) The long cooking time gave everything a deep, intoxicating flavor and aroma and, when you finally got to eat them, the meat fell apart with a mere glance.  It’s similar in some ways to the Galbi Jjim recipe I posted earlier on the blog, but has a sweet and savory taste all its own. I’ve received more messages and comments asking for this recipe than any other dish I’ve ever posted on my Instagram account (second only to my chocolate cake.)  The recipe is so popular that Hmart recently asked me to do a video demo for their website. So… these ribs are kind of a big deal. 😉

Give this recipe a try and you’ll remember your own Korean mom’s cooking… even if you’re not Korean  (Read more…)

 

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Skirt Steak with Italian Chimichurri and Tomato Salad

Where do my recipe ideas come from?  Sometimes I’m inspired by reading cookbooks and magazines, or watching food shows on Netflix or Food Network.  Sometimes I wake up having dreamt something delicious.  And sometimes inspiration strikes when one of my daughters comes for a visit and bombards me with all the foods she wants to eat! We had just eaten a fantastic tomato salad with fresh ricotta on semolina toast and had some leftovers.  The next day, I asked my daughter what she wanted to have with the leftover toast and tomatoes, and she suggested steak with chimichurri and I thought “maybe I can make it Italian!” I looked on the Interwebs, but couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I created my own!

Chimichurri is a traditional Argentinian condiment made with parsley, vinegar, and garlic. It is usually served with beef, and is a staple on most family dinner tables in South America.  I wanted something with that fresh brightness, but with Italian flavors to compliment a tender grilled steak and the vibrant tomatoes.  Utilizing Italian herbs, and Calabrian chilis, this is a new take on a classic (Read More…)

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Spicy Beef Empanadas

Spicy Beef Empanadas 2

You don’t have to grow up eating the food of a particular culture to be good at cooking that food.  Bobby Flay is a White Irish man from New York, but no one is doubting his Southwestern flavor skills.  My Korean Mom made the best spaghetti sauce I’ve ever tasted, so… yeah, weird.  So, this half Korean/half Redneck girl is going to take you with her on an Empanada Adventure.

I don’t have some really cool empanada food memory to share.  Something about standing on a stool in my Abuela’s kitchen while she made empanadas for a family meal.  That scenario is pretty much genetically impossible for me.  I have, however, seen empanadas made on Food Network and The Cooking Channel quite often, and thought they looked amazing.  What’s not to love?  A crispy and flaky crust filled with well seasoned meat and vegetables.  Uh, yum!  I also used to pass an empanada food truck every day on my way to work at the Book Behemoth and stopped to try one once.  It was deep fried, kinda greasy, and very light on the filling.  That’s not what I saw on TV.  So I did what I do.  I researched, I planned, and I experimented until I created a pretty darn good empanada!  I don’t know if your Abuela would find it authentic, but there weren’t any left after everyone took their fill, so it must be good! (Read more…)

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Beef Barley Soup

Beef Barley Soup with Milk Bread Roll

I’m so glad cooler weather has finally arrived!  I mean, I don’t really pay attention to seasonal rules regarding when to cook something, but I suppose Fall is the socially accepted time to present soup to a wider audience.  Soup is a universally loved meal.  It warms hearts and bellies and, don’t tell anyone, but, it’s really, really, easy to make.  My beef barley soup is a great example.  Made with leftover beef from my Italian Pot Roast, it’s ready in less than an hour and will satisfy even the hungriest person you know  (Read more…)

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Italian Pot Roast with Polenta

Italian Pot Roast with Polenta

One of the first meals I remember The Boy’s mother cooking for me was Braciole.  And yes, I capitalized the word Braciole on purpose.  He speaks of the dish with an almost religious reverance, so it seems fitting.   It’s essentially thin slices of beef, rolled around herbs and cheese,  tied up with string or skewered with a toothpick,  quickly seared, and then slowly simmered in “gravy” (Jersey Italian for red sauce).  My now Mother-In-Law hasn’t made that dish in years, but even so, I don’t think I’ll ever try to make it for The Boy.  A girl just doesn’t put her food up for comparison with the one dish he most remembers his mother making.  But this Italian pot roast is as close as I’ll ever come to the Legend of the Braciole. (Read more…)

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Crispy Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry

beijing beef crispy beef bok choy

I was thinking about Panda Express.  Specifically, I was craving their Beijing Beef.  Lightly fried beef strips.  Peppers and onions with just a hint of char on their edges, yet still maintaining their fresh crunch.  A sticky, sweet and, spicy sauce coating all those bits of deliciousness.  So desperate was my desire, that I got into my car and drove 15 miles to the nearest mall to get it into my belly.  I got off the escalator and turned into the food court, walked to the back and saw… a blank white wall instead of my Panda Express.  What was I to do?!  (Read more…)

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Slow Cooker Galbi Jjim (Korean Short Ribs)

Galbi Jjim Korean Short Ribs slow cooker on plate striped npkin

In order to take my mind off the heat and humidity that is a New Jersey Summer, I am putting myself in a Fall Food state of mind. It’s cool here. I’m wearing a cardigan (I don’t own a cardigan, but go with it), and I’m walking through…(the woods, a field…insert nature thingy here, I don’t really do that, so I’m drawing a blank), and thinking about my Korean Short Ribs, simmering in the slow cooker. Come inside, I’ll get you a plate (Read more…)