Roasted Carrots and Asparagus

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Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into long strips
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 sprigs thyme
Juice of half a large lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lay out some parchment paper on a sheet pan.  Evenly spread out the asparagus and carrots in a single layer.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on the minced garlic, thyme leaves, and a little salt and pepper.

Bake for 20 minutes and test for tenderness.  Bake for a couple extra minutes if needed.

Serve roasted vegetables on a platter and drizzle lemon juice on top.

Short Ribs

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Ingredients:

Canola oil

8 beef short ribs

2 large onions, cut into large dice

Kosher salt

4 carrots, cut into bite-size pieces

2 celery stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 cups Zinfandel or heavy fruity wine

1 garlic head, halved horizontally

1 inch piece of fresh ginger

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon peppercorns, cracked

1 tablespoon butter

1 pound mushrooms, sliced or diced and seared

Preparation:

In a Dutch oven or other heavy ovenproof pot, add enough oil to reach 1/4 inch up the sides and heat over high heat.  Dredge the dry short ribs in the flour, shaking off excess.  When the oil is hot, add the ribs and brown on all sides.  Remove the ribs to a plate lined with paper towels.  (This can be done a day ahead and refrigerated.)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Wipe the pot clean then sauté half of the onions in a film of oil over medium heat until softened.  (Refrigerate remaining onions.)  Add a four-finger pinch of salt and stir.  Add the celery, half of the carrots (refrigerate the remaining carrots until needed) and cook for about 4 minutes longer.  The longer you cook the vegetables, the deeper the flavor of the sauce will be.  For intensely deep flavor, cook until the carrots and onions are browned.  Add the tomato paste and cook to heat it.

Nestle the ribs in the pot.  Add the wine (it should come three-fourths of the way up the ribs), garlic, ginger, and bay leaves.  Season with a three finger pinch of salt and add peppercorns.  Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a lid set ajar, and slide into the oven.  Cook the ribs for 4 hours.

Remove the pot from the oven and allow the ribs to cool, covered.  When the ribs are cool enough to handle, put them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Strain the cooking liquid into a glass measuring cup, cover and refrigerate.  When the liquid has chilled, remove the congealed fat and discard.

Melt butter in the pot. Add the reserved onions and carrots and sauté until softened.  Return the ribs to the pot.  Add mushrooms and reserved cooking liquid.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until the carrots are tender and the ribs are heated through about 15 minutes.

Serve with buttered noodles or mashed potatoes.

History:

Recipe comes from Michael Ruelman's cookbook "Twenty."

Turkey Pot Pie

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Ingredients:
6 Bouchées à la Reine (or pastry for top)
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup water
2 oz. butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 Tbs. fresh thyme
1/3 cup all purpose flour (2 oz.)
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups half and half
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
12 ounces boneless, skinless turkey
   breast or thigh cut into 1/2" pieces
1/3 cup chopped parsley

Preparation:
In a large 14" deep skillet combine carrots and water.  Boil over high heat, lower heat to medium, and cook until slightly softened and no water remains.  Add butter, onion, celery and thyme to skillet.  Cook until onion and celery are translucent.  Stir in flour until well coated with butter (add more butter if necessary).

Whisk in stock, half and half, salt, and pepper to form a smooth sauce.  Boil then adjust salt and pepper to taste..  Stir in turkey and parsley.  Simmer until thick (about 30 minutes).  Fill Bouchées just before serving.

Variation:
Place turkey filling into small ovenproof bowls.  Top with puff pastry or the following crust recipe and press to adhere pastry to sides of bowl.  Brush top with yolk/water mixture.  Then bake 20 minutes at 425˚


Crust Recipe
Ingredients:
8 oz, flour
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp sugar
6 oz unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/4" bits
1/2 cup cold crisco
4.5 oz. flour
1/4 cup cold vodka
1/4 cup water

Preparation:
Process flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined 2 one second pulses.  Add butter, shortening and process until dough starts to collect in uneven clumps about15 seconds.  Add flour; pulse until mixture is evenly distributed and dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses.  Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture.  Use a folding motion to mix, until dough sticks together.  Divide into six balls and flatten each into a disk.  Wrap in plastic.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes.  Roll, fold, and refrigerate 3 times like puff pastry.  Refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days before using.

Roll each pastry disk to fit a ramekin with 1/2" overhang.  Brush outer rim of ramekin with yolk mix.  Place pastry over.  Press to adhere.  Brush top with yolk mixture.  Cut a small slit for steam to escape and bake for 20 minutes at 425˚.

History:
Crust and turnkey pot pie recipe comes from Chef Tech Cooking School.   Using Boucheé instead of crust is my French take on the recipe.