Stir Fried Chicken and Vegetables

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Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips
3/4 cup broccoli spears
3/4 cup snow peas
1 small carrot, pealed and grated
8 mushrooms, sliced
6 Tablespoons chicken broth
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon Mongolian Chili Oil

Preparation:
Whisk together 2 Tablespoons broth, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch and sesame oil in medium bowl.  Set sauce aside.  Toss chicken pieces in remaining soy sauce, cornstarch and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to coat in a large bowl.

Heat 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil in wok over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Brown chicken about 5 minutes.  Transfer to plate and tent with foil.

Add broccoli, snow peas and carrots and remaining chicken broth to wok and cook, covered, until broccoli begins to soften, about 2 minutes.  Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates.  Stir in remaining vegetable oil, bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook until spotty brown, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add ginger, garlic and chili oil and cook until fragrant, about 30 minutes.  Whisk sauce to recombine and add sauce, chicken marinade and chicken to wok.  Cook until thickened.

Serve with cooked white rice.

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."