I wish I could say that this is an entree at my house, but alas … no. This is an offering at El Celler de Can Roca, a three-star Michelin restaurant in Girona, Spain, about an hour northeast of Barcelona. El Celler is run by the three Roca brothers, the eldest of whom, Joan, prefers to describe himself and his brothers Josep and Jordi as artisans, rather than artists. Regardless, their approach in the kitchen is artistry, and as the three Michelin stars would indicate, the food must be pretty good. Just for fun, I went on-line to see when I could get a Saturday night reservation for dinner at El Celler. Nothing available through the end of April, 2019.
That brings me to our kitchen. Not much artistry, but the emphasis here is to make it GOOD. There are thousands of recipe books and thousands more recipes that can be sourced on-line, but I will share with you an abbreviated dinner menu that I have served many times. It was at the suggestion of my son Greg that I post the details. I will leave the appies, salad and dessert for you to add to the mix, and go right to the beef. Years ago, at a restaurant in La Jolla, CA, and in the company of good friends the Bains, I had my first taste of beef short ribs, done well. Since, I have been on a mission to try to match those short ribs and I may be getting close. This what my short ribs look like (I borrowed this image because my photo skills are somewhat lacking); served over mashed potatoes, with a veggie on the side.
I will get to the mashed potatoes in a moment, and will leave the veggies to you. Here is the recipe for short ribs.
Beef Short Ribs
Start with 4 pounds (more than enough for 6) of thick-cut boneless short ribs. Place them on parchment paper in a shallow pan and roast them in a 350 degree F oven for 40 minutes. This will help to get rid of some of the fat.
Separately, start the sauce. I mince a medium onion together with 2 or 3 tablespoons of minced garlic and add three or four cups of hot water, together with 3 tablespoons of “Better than Bouillon” beef flavour. I use a wand to then blend in a can of diced tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, pepper, and a tablespoon of either Italiano or herbes de Provence spice mix. No salt needed as there is plenty from the bouillon.
Once the ribs are roasted and some of the fat is removed, wash the ribs under warm water to get rid of more fat, then place them in a cast iron pan. Pour the sauce over the ribs so the surfaces of the ribs are showing. Braise them in a 325 degree oven for 35 minutes. Take them out of the oven, turn them over in the pan, and braise for another 35 minutes. Repeat the process in 35 minute increments for another two hours or so. If the sauce is reduced too much, add another cup of water with bouillon. Take the ribs from the cast iron pan, and place in a covered container. Refrigerate overnight. Put the sauce in a separate container and refrigerate. This is the end of DAY ONE.
On DAY TWO the ribs will need another three or four hours of cooking. Wash the meat again (I really want to get rid of as much obvious fat as possible) and place them back in the cast iron pan. A fatty yellow layer will have formed on the surface of the sauce. Remove that layer and pour the sauce over the ribs. Back into the oven, working with 35 minute increments at 325 degrees F, turning the ribs to again to just show their surfaces (which will get pretty dark brown – that is what you want). The sauce will reduce and here is where I cheat. I pour a can or two of beef gravy over the ribs when needed. And I add a little water each time I add the canned gravy. It is not unusual for me to use two or three cans, depending on the consistency of the sauce and/or the quantity of meat. I do add a half cup or more of red wine as well. In the end, you want the sauce the consistency of gravy – not too thick but rich looking. Cook the ribs until they are just about falling apart. They should be fork tender and with very little fat. This does not have to be a two day exercise. It could be done starting early Saturday and finished well before your guests arrive.
I don’t hesitate to encourage dinner guests to sop up the sauce with bread. Not good table manners, I suppose, but if the sauce and the bread are GOOD, why not? I enjoy making bread, and it can be so easy, especially the “no-knead” versions. I don’t have a bread machine, and I certainly am not averse to kneading by hand or using a food processor, but no-knead bread only requires a little time. And the results can be very satisfying. Below, no-knead beer bread.
The beer bread recipe that follows is a variation on a recipe from “allrecipes.com” – a great resource for would-be chefs (or “cook” in my case). I like to use Guinness, as it gives the bread a nice warm color and more depth of flavor; and I often add some herbs. You can use a different mix of flour – in this instance I substituted a bit of rye flour (1/4 cup will do) and some caraway seeds. So here is my go-to beer bread …
No-knead Beer Bread
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 cups bread flour
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup rye flour
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 8 fluid ounces Guinness (at room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
Stir together the yeast, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and the warm water in a large bowl. Cover and let sit in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Add the Guinness, the rest of the flour, salt and the caraway seeds to the bowl. Mix together until a very sticky dough forms. It will look very shaggy (think shag rug – ugh). Cover and let rise for at least 12 hours.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a well-floured surface, flour the top and shape into a loaf.
Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal and move the loaf to the baking sheet. Add more flour to the top of the loaf and cover with a non-terry cloth towel. Let it rise again for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, and place a small pan of water on the upper rack to keep the oven humid.
Slit the top of the loaf with a utility knife and bake on a middle rack for 30 to 35 minutes. The loaf should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
Once done, place on a cooling rack.
This will be a large loaf, and more than enough for your dinner party. But fear not – this makes great toast for the morning after.
Mashed Potatoes
I won’t provide a precise list of ingredients here, but I will say this: I tend to make a lot of mashed – much more than a dinner table of six might consume. I use Yukon gold potatoes, because they don’t have a lot of spots on them and I don’t peel them. I wash them and cut them in half, coat in olive oil, spread them cut-side down on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper and bake for 45 minutes. I find if you boil the potatoes, they retain too much water.
Separately, I dice and sauté a medium size onion, together with two tablespoons of minced garlic. Once I start mashing the potatoes, I add the onion/garlic mixture, along with butter (two tablespoons or more), and sour cream (enough to make the mashed smooth). I will add maybe a half cup of grated Parmesan to the mix, along with at least a tablespoon of salt. I spray an oven-proof bowl with Pam, add the mashed and top the potatoes with bread crumbs and some more Parmesan. You can make the mashed well ahead, refrigerate and pull the potatoes out and bake for about an hour (at 350 degrees F) before serving. The potatoes will come out with a nice crust and are ready for the short ribs. And yes, there will be lots left over …
The photo following is not really exciting, but I couldn’t think of what else to do.
But I won’t leave you with potatoes. Following is an image of El Celler de Can Roca. The restaurant has a wine cellar holding 60,000 bottles. The tasting menu will set you back about 200 bucks (U.S), exclusive of wine. By contrast, on wing night at Eaglecrest Golf Club you can get 10 wings for just under 5 bucks (Canadian), plus a beer for another 5 bucks. No need to get on a plane, as Eaglecrest is right here in Qualicum Beach.
