all about braising

[ceeceee]

hi all cook book of the monthers. for all of you who tried a lot of the molly steven's braising recipes i need an easy recipe for about 6 people. i was thinking of the porter braised short ribs, but can you think of anything else that is equally delicious but less hands on?
i mean the ribs weren't too much work...but i'd be curious to hear your suggestions.

[oaklandfoodie]

Just made this on Sunday night. Wow! It's not too much work, go for it. The results are delicious!

[ceeceee]

i have made it before and agreed it wasn't way too much work...i was looking for suggestions for a crowd pleaser. equal to less work would be great!
whole chicken with pears--too much work...sausages braised in red wine...not a lot of work, but definitely not as delicious...

[JoanN]

The braised ribs recipe doesn't seem so hands-on if you spread it out over a few days. I salted for 2 days, cooked on the third day, let sit in the fridge day four, and glazed and served on day five. The glaze can also be made a day or two ahead of time. Other than browning the ribs, which I did in a Dutch oven, the only other time it needs attention is during the braising when she suggests turning the ribs every 40 to 45 minutes. I just set the timer one evening and went about doing other things in between the turning of the ribs. I thought it was a great company dish, just because it did need so very little attention at the end.

[DGresh]

I also made it for company and it worked out well; I didn't even do the turning every 45 minutes since mine were in a dutch oven two layers deep and it didn't seem feasible. They were great. I did everything a couple days ahead as recommended and as above.

[ceeceee]

good point. the short ribs are soooo incredible i think i have to make them again! i can braise and make the glaze the night before...then warm up and broil the night of...that way my oven is free for roasted potatoes.
any other idea for sides?

[yayadave]

mac & cheese

[JoanN]

I would definitely make at least one side that could really sop up the sauce. When I made it, I served it with pan-roasted diced potatoes thinking the crunchy potatoes would balance the tenderness of the meat. It was a mistake; not a bad one, but even one of my guests said he would have preferred a better conveyance for the sauce. Next time I'll probably serve it with egg noodles. Mashed potatoes would do the trick as well.

The ribs, and the sauce, are very rich. Although the mac 'n cheese would certainly be tasty with it, it could make for a very heavy meal. In addition to the roasted potatoes, I served cole slaw, and the cold/crunchiness was a good counterpoint to the ribs. But the main reason I made the slaw was that all the ingredients were on on hand and the weather was still fairly warm.

[ceeceee]

im thinking of maybe a roasted brussel sprout side...something with a bit of bite and slight crunch.

[yayadave]

Cold broccoli salad for crunch or beans and greens for something completely different.

[JoanN]

I happen to love roasted brussels sprouts. And the color would be good on an otherwise monochromatic plate.

[VegaCarpio]

as suggested on Zuni short ribs thread colcannon would be great - and this is what i'm planning to make tomorrow, with black kale...

[sam21479]

I made these on Sunday night with a few modifications-I used boneless short ribs, braised at a lower temp for about 3 hrs, but forgot to flip them! I also added a little celery and a few cloves of garlic to the liquid. Finally, because I was too lazy to get all of my pans out of my broiler area, I just bake the ribs and still got a drying/crisp effect on top. Overall, I was VERY happy with the results and found that the hardest/longest part of it all was browning the ribs. This recipe will definitely be made often.

[MVNYC]

You miss out on a lot of flavour when you go boneless. Everything cooked with the bone tastes better. everything

[yayadave]

You could just get a recipe for stay a-bed stew. You put everything in a pot and put it in the oven for about five hours. You could add some red wine or dark beer to gussy it up a bit.

[ceeceee]

thanks, but i am working my way through the molly stevens book. her recipes are all pretty hands on...not really throw all the ingredients in a pot and go. so i am just trying to come up with a balance between ease of preparation and a guaranteed crowd pleasing dish. thanks :)

[Becca Porter]

Milk-Braised Pork, It is absolutely incredible.

[ceeceee]

yes! this was on my list. the recipe seems very simple. any diea for sides?

[GretchenS]

Baked sweet potatoes, sauteed broccoli rabe with some aleppo pepper, and a chopped salad with cucumber, tomato and red onion and a tangy vinaigrette. Hounds here suggested these sides the first time I made pork braised in milk a couple years ago and they were perfect.