braised short ribs

 

•             3  pounds boneless short ribs , trimmed of excess fat 
•  Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 2tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2large onions , peeled and sliced thin from pole to pole (about 4 cups)
• 1tablespoon tomato paste
• 6medium garlic cloves , peeled
• 3cups beef broth
• 4large carrots , peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
• 1bay leaf

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until smoking. Add half of beef and cook, without moving, until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn beef and continue to cook on second side until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes longer, reducing heat if fat begins to smoke. Transfer beef to medium bowl. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and meat.
• 2. Reduce heat to medium, add onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. (If onions begin to darken too quickly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to pan.) Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it browns on sides and bottom of pan, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Increase heat to medium-high, add 2 cups of beef broth and simmer, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Add remaining broth, carrots, and bay leaf. Add beef and any accumulated juices to pot; cover and bring to simmer. Transfer pot to oven and cook, using tongs to turn meat twice during cooking, until fork slips easily in and out of meat, 2 to 2½ hours.

pepperoni pizza bites

yields 36 bites

1 recipe pizza dough (below)
1 recipe pizza sauce (below)
4 oz pepperoni, diced
6 oz mozzarella cheese, grated)

pizza dough:

½ cup warm water (about 110°)

1 envelope (2 ¼ tsp.) yeast

1 ¼ cups water, at room temperature

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting

1 ½ tsp. salt

non-stick cooking spray for greasing the bowl

Directions:

Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup.  Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes.  Add the room temperature water and oil and stir to combine.  

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Briefly combine the dry ingredients at low speed.  Slowly add the liquid ingredients and continue to mix at low speed until a cohesive mass forms.  Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook.  Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.  Press the dough to deflate it.

pizza sauce:

1 8oz can of tomato paste

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp marjoram

1 tsp garlic salt

mix all ingredients together in a bowl and add as much water as it takes to reach a sauce consistency.  let sit at room temperature until everything else is ready to assemble.

Heat the oven to 450° for at least 30 minutes. Place 2 cookie sheets lined with foil in the oven while it is preheating.

Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces.  Roll each out into a large rectangle (about 10 x 15 inches).  Mix the pepperoni pieces and mozzarella into the pizza sauce.  Lightly mark one of the rectangles of dough so that you have 18 squares.  Place 1 tsp of pepperoni mixture into the center of each square.  Top with other dough and press with the side of your hands around each lump of filling.  Cut squares apart and press sides with the tines of a fork to seal.  

Remove cookie sheets from the oven and spray foil with cooking spray.  Place the pizza bites on cookie sheets so that they are in an even single layer.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden brown.  Serve immediately.