Trying desperately not to miss sunny California, I threw myself into the kitchen, where the windows that look out on snow are limited. My parents came down for the weekend (that’s it’s own blog) so Saturday I cooked up a mess of short ribs from Gordon Hamersley’s Bistro Cooking at Home. They couldn’t be easier; you sear the ribs, let some bacon render its fat, brown big rings of red onion, and braise the whole thing in a slow oven with a couple of bottles (or in this case, cans) of Guinness. If you want the whole recipe, let me know. What was forgotten was the block of bittersweet chocolate from the chocolate show, to grate into the sauce, adding a different level of flavor. We had the ribs with some horseradish mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, and steamed broccoli (have to look healthy, n’est pas?).
As crazy as it might sound, I’ve been totally spoiled for potatoes. My farmer, Paul Wigsten, grows several heirloom varieties of potatoes, including the most luscious Corolla’s. They LOOK like Yukon Golds, but have so much more flavor, and are incredibly buttery. Paul says you don’t need butter when you eat them, and I agree, even though we all know butter makes everything better. Just one more thing to add to the list of why I love summer!
