How you doin’? Here’s what I’m planning today. I’m going to grill steaks for dinner. I picked up a couple of bone-in rib-eye steaks at Huntington Meats yesterday and I lightly marinated them in what I thought to be expensive balsamic vinegar. It comes from a canister-like dispenser at Gelson’s markets and it costs about $35 bucks for a small bottle when they have it in stock. They make all kinds of claims they I never really paid much attention to; I just love the flavor of this brand of balsamic vinegar and use it on a lot of different things… I add it to salads and dressings, to sous vide chicken breasts, over-ripe strawberries, I even use it to add a punch to my Italian sauces and Bloody Mary Mix.
 
I was a happy “balsamic camper” until I heard from George—George Salmas, The Food Lawyer. George exclusively represents food and beverage companies. The Food Lawyers have been in the biz for over 30 years advising and protecting food industry clients. We (Perspectives and The Food Lawyers) have common clients but do different things.
 
Let me tell you a little bit about George… first of all, he is an attorney (that’s not all bad) with a quirky sense of humor and often writes about some of the really stupid things that people sue food people over. In California there are lots of litigious crackpots who will sue anyone at any time for anything… but I digress. 
 
So last week I receive a new article from George, Drop the Vinegar and Come Out With Your Hands Up!  He goes on to tell us—well, I’ll let you read it in George’s own words (be sure to scroll down to the recipes below).

                             Drop the Vinegar and Come Out With Your Hands Up! 
One of the great scams that has gone on for years, and still goes on today, is counterfeit balsamic vinegar. Most of it in stores is bogus.
 
Real, traditional, authentic balsamic vinegar comes from two regions in Italy and starts with specific strains of white wine grapes that are crushed into juice with the skins, seeds and stems. This concoction is cooked down to about 50% volume into a concentrated syrup and then aged in a progression of barrels made from chestnut, cherry, oak, mulberry, ash or juniper for at least 12 years. Some of the premium products are aged for as many as 50 to 100 years.
 
Well, this is all very expensive—and this is where the con-game begins. But this one is doubly tricky because it can be a double-con—one of which is actually legal.
 
All crooks have two things in common. 1) They want to make as much money as possible with as little work as possible. 2) They are smarter than everybody else.
So, they do things like rob banks, print counterfeit money and smuggle drugs. Some of them even go into politics. But those chumps are all pikers compared to the real gravy train: Food fraud.
 
If you can take cheap food and palm it off as something exclusive, you can run that scam over, and over and over to the same people—forever (or until you get caught). Even when you catch them red handed, they act surprised and try to keep it going.
 
One of the really great scams that has gone on for years and still goes on today, is counterfeit balsamic vinegar. Most of it in stores is bogus.
 
Real, traditional, authentic balsamic vinegar comes from two regions in Italy and starts with specific strains of white wine grapes that are crushed into juice with the skins, seeds and stems. This concoction is cooked down to about 50% volume into a concentrated syrup and then aged in a progression of barrels made from chestnut, cherry, oak, mulberry, ash or juniper for at least 12 years. Some of the premium products are aged for as many as 50 to 100 years.
 
Well, this is all very expensive—and this is where the con-game begins. But this one is doubly tricky because it can be a double-con—one of which is actually legal.
 
The illegal con: Mostly originating in Italy, counterfeit balsamic starts out as “plonk” (cheap generic table wine grapes) that is palmed off as the expensive varieties. Then, it might be aged for a couple of years (or less) and then diluted with cheap white vinegar and pumped up with thickeners and coloring agents. The product is then labeled “balsamic vinegar” and sold without disclosing its sordid past. 3.38 oz of real 25-year-old balsamic vinegar can cost more than $150, and a bottle of 50-year-old can be $300. Even a bottle of 12-year-old (the minimum allowed) can go for $75. So, when it costs $10 or so to make a fake, that’s some serious profit. Last year, the Italian police conducted a sting and seized over 9 tons of bogus balsamic stock. And no one thinks they got all of it.
 
The legal con: It’s OK to label something “balsamic vinegar” and put a bunch of bogus junk in it, so long as you list the bogus junk in the little ingredient statement on the back. Common additives are white vinegar, GMO brown sugar and caramel coloring.
 
So here is a little advice from The Food Lawyers:

1. Admit to yourself it’s impossible to be sure without a DNA test. I believed my parents when they told me I was their kid. I never bothered with a DNA test. I’m not suggesting one here.
2. Be prepared to spend some real money. If it’s $20 a bottle, like we used to say in South Philly, “Feggeda Bout It.”
3. Look at the ingredient statement. The only ingredient should be “grape must.” “Must” is the grape juice, seeds, skins and stems before they’ve been cooked down to 50% volume. If you see anything more than “grape must” listed, you know it’s watered down, bogus balsamic. And if the ingredient list names wine vinegar before the “grape must,” you know it’s more than 50% watered down.
4. Look for the designation, D.O.P. Denominazione di Origine Protetta—Italian for “Protected Name of Origin” – is the EU certification of authentic balsamic. Odds are good you’re getting the real thing. I.G.P. denotes a much cheaper blend with white vinegar from Modena, Italy. Any other combination of letters is just B.S.

But there’s another alternative: If you like the cheap, watered-down stuff that’s normally served in Italian restaurants (it can actually taste pretty good), go ahead and use it. Just don’t pay $300 for 4 ounces.
If you’ve got a problem and need legal food advice, call or email George Salmas, Phone: 310-556-0721 or email george.salmas@thefoodlawyers.com.
      
So, now that you know all the interesting “cons” relating to balsamic vinegar, here a couple of recipes you can make with it. For these two recipes you can use the “cheap” stuff.
 
                                                 Inexpensive Balsamic Vinaigrette
 
This is a great tasting balsamic vinaigrette that does not require the expensive, aged vinegar.  It is simple and works well as a dressing or marinade.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
 
Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
salt and ground freshly-ground black pepper to taste
 
Directions
Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, shallot, garlic, salt and black pepper together in a glass jar with a lid. Shake vigorously until thoroughly combined.
 
 
                                                        Boneless Balsamic Italian Beef
Ingredients
1-3/4-pound boneless roast beef (chuck or round roast)
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
 
Directions

1. Place roast beef into your Instant Pot cooking insert.
2. In a small mixing bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients and pour over the beef.
3. Set the Instant Pot on HIGH PRESSURE for 45 MINUTES. At the end of the cook cycle let it NATURALLY RELEASE for 10 MINUTES and then open the valve to release the remaining steam. Alternatively, you can also use your slow cooker--4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low.
4. Transfer the cooked beef from the pot with tongs to a serving dish. Break apart lightly with two forks and then ladle about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid over the roast beef.
5. Serve over pasta, rice or couscous.

ChefSecret: I keep any leftover cooking liquid in a Food Saver bag in the freezer and use it as a cooking starter for the next braised beef dish I make.

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Please remember when making purchases—Give our American farmers and ranchers the business—source local foods, shop small (neighborhood owned stores) and buy when you see Made in the USA on the label.

To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Thanks for reading!

#BalsamicVinegar #BalsamicVinaigrette #ItalianBeef #Beef #Entrees #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #InstantPot #ComfortFoods #HuntingtonMeats #TheFoodLawyers

How you doin’? I hope this morning’s missive finds you doing well. As for me, I’m not doing so well today. Over the last week I have been reading about farmers and ranchers having to destroy their crops and livestock because they can’t process or sell their harvest. It is true that several meat processing plants have closed temporarily because some workers have contracted Covid-19 and there are not enough people to man the “knives.” This is going to have a terrible whiplash effect on the ability to get good, healthy American proteins (chickens, pork and beef) and produce to market.
 
I hate to hear about farmers plowing their crops under or ranchers euthanizing animals because they can’t afford to feed them or they are past the point of harvest. When you figure that a rancher raises a calf to maturity for 18 to 20 months on pasture and feed and makes just under $200 per animal (graded choice, not prime) at the end of the cycle you can see how devastating this can be to their livelihoods.
 
We have a family dairy farm near Montfort, Wisconsin. They have a couple hundred milking cows that require daily attention. I know how hard they and all family farmers work to bring milk and cheese to our collective tables. For them and others to even have to think about pouring out milk or destroy good milking cows would be devastating to their lives and livelihoods. 
 
This really pisses me off! I don’t want to turn this blog to political issues, but I must get a few things off my chest. It’s important to understand when the economy shuts down, crops keep growing. With schools, restaurants and some retail stores closed, this pandemic could blow-up the national food supply logistics chain. This will start to cause shortages where food is most needed leaving an abundance of newly harvested produce, grains and livestock with nowhere to go.
 
Several of Smithfield’s pork processing plants have either been closed or are on reduced output. It makes me doubly mad because the Wuhan Virus Pandemic which was caused by the Chinese Communist Party’s shoddy information could have been contained in late December or early January if they hadn’t tried to cover it up. Smithfield Foods, the world's largest pork processor—was acquired by a Chinese firm in 2013 for nearly $5 billion—well more than the company's market value. Was this part of their plan? Who’s makin’ your bacon?
 
You can say what you want, but this is what I would call an act of war not only against the United States but the other 187 countries who find their economies shut down and their citizens dying of this Chinese virus. More Americans have died of Covid-19 in the last 2 months than died during the entire Vietnam War. And, it all could have been prevented or at least severely mitigated. 
 
A side story… I bought a bunch of masks for the test kitchen—they were made in China. One of the strings breaks loose in the same place on every mask. I tried gluing it with one of the super glues we had in the office (made in China, of course) and that wouldn’t hold. I then tried Elmer’s Glue… that didn’t work either.  Lo and behold, when I looked at the back label on Elmer’s I saw it, too, is now made in China. We can’t continue to aid and abet our enemies. My advice to all good Americans—buy locally, buy from merchants who live and work in your state and above all, look for the proud label—MADE IN THE USA!
 
So, now that I got that off my chest, it’s safe to assume we are going to see some shortages and price increases (hopefully short-term shortages) in our food supply over the next several weeks and possibly months. We are going to have to really be savvy in the way we shop for proteins and prepare our meals.  Get ready to think Instant Pot, slow cookers or even Dutch ovens.

We all know that steaks are tender and juicy and just take a few minutes on the barbi to get a perfectly grilled or broiled piece of heaven. Steaks are pricier than tougher cuts of meats. That toughness is due to fibrous connective tissue found in working muscles—not in the lazier muscles where New York and Ribeye steaks come from (same is true in pork). When you cook all those working muscle cuts of meat correctly—under pressure or low and slow with enough liquid to keep things moist—it turns the meat tender enough to cut with a fork. The right cuts of meat go a long way to extend your butcher budget. So, pull out your Instant Pot, Slow Cooker or Dutch oven and start cooking gourmet meals on a budget.

                                               Orange and Beer-Braised Pork Carnitas

This is my all-time favorite Cheap Meat Eats pork carnitas recipe made in an Instant Pot. You don’t have to let the pork slowly simmer all day; it can be done in an hour or so and it will be perfectly tender and shred-able. Give it a fast turn under the broiler in the oven to crisp it up.  Get ready to Instant Pot!

Prep time:  30 minutes
Cook time:  1 hours
Yield:  8 servings

Ingredients:
For the braising liquid
1 cup Corona beer (or any beer that’s handy)
1 12-ounce can of cola
5 tablespoons garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
 
For the pork carnitas
5-pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2-Inch cubes
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 orange cut in quarters (leave rind on)
1 split jalapeño pepper
 
Directions
To make the braising liquid

1. Whisk together the beer, cola, garlic, orange and lime juice, oregano, cumin and salt until well combined. Set aside.

To make pork carnitas

1. Generously season the pork cubes with salt and pepper. Then set the SAUTÉ function on the Instant Pot to briefly sear the pork on all sides in the oil.  Do this in two batches, so you don’t steam the meat.
2. Add the braising liquid, the cut orange and split jalapeño to the pork, then pressure cook on HIGH for 30 minutes, followed by a NATURAL RELEASE.
3. When the pork is cooked and cooled just a little, shred it with 2 forks.
4. If you prefer the carnitas to be nice and crispy, spread the shredded pork out in an even layer on a large baking sheet, and spoon about 1/3 of the remaining juices from the Instant Pot evenly on top of the pork. 
5. Pop the baking sheet under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes, or until the edges of the pork are golden and crispy. Then remove from the oven, give the pork a good toss with half of the remaining juices, and broil for 4-5 more minutes. 
6. Remove from the broiler, toss with the remaining juices.
7. Serve the carnitas as tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, enchiladas and tostadas salads.

Here are some ideas for other Cheat Meat Eats—the best inexpensive cuts of protein to use for great tasting meals:
 
Beef Chuck Roast:

• Shredded Barbecue Beef
• Red Wine Beef Pot Roast
• Italian Beef
• Mexican-Style Shredded Meat

 
Pork Shoulder Roast

• Chile Colorado (red sauce)
• Spicy Pork Chile Verde (green sauce)
• Texas Pulled Pork (barbecue sauce)
• Apple Cider Braised Pork

 
Lamb Shanks

• Wine Braised Lamb Shanks
• Indian-Style Lamb Shank Vindaloo
• Guinness-Braised Lamb Shanks
• Honey Braised Lamb Shanks

 
Beef Short Ribs

• Short Ribs Braised with Mushrooms and Tomatoes
• Slow-Cooked German Short Ribs
• Korean Braised Short Ribs
• Bloody Mary Short Ribs (braised in bloody Mary mix)

All these dishes taste even better the next day. Plus, you can make a little meat go a long way by serving it with plenty of vegetables and starches like potatoes, polenta, rice and noodles.

ChefSecret: I always sear the meat along with sautéing the vegetables to caramelize them before adding to the selected cooker. Use plenty of liquids—low sodium stock or red or white wines—or a combination of both.

#Carnitas #Pork #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #InstantPot #Covid19 #USA #SlowCooker #DutchOven #Braise

How you doin’? This is day #14 of our self-imposed exile at home. What are you doing to keep busy? Many of us are cooking up a storm and eating anything/everything in sight.
 
Do you have kids? How are you keeping them busy? You might want to consider teaching them how to cook. One problem might be that the last time you went shopping you weren’t able to grab a bag of flour at the grocery store before the shelves emptied out. But maybe, just maybe, you found a box of good ol’ Bisquick at the back of the top shelf in your pantry.
 
I must confess… I use Bisquick for several recipes especially when I am in a rush. Bisquick is a convenient baking ingredient sold by General Mills under its Betty Crocker brand. It consists of pre-mixed flour, shortening, salt, and baking powder.
 
As the story goes, according to General Mills, Bisquick was invented in 1930 after one of their sales representatives met an innovative dining car chef on the Union Pacific railroad. After the sales executive complimented the chef on his deliciously fresh, hot biscuits, the chef shared his secret—he used a pre-mixed biscuit batter he created consisting of lard, flour, baking powder and salt. The chef then stored his pre-mixed biscuit batter on ice in his kitchen ahead of time, enabling him to bake fresh biscuits quickly on the train every day, throughout the day.  When the sales represented returned to his office, he helped create Bisquick which was officially introduced on grocers' shelves a year later.
 
First promoted for only baking biscuits, Bisquick can be used to prepare a wide variety of baked goods—pizza dough, pancakes, waffles, dumplings, cookies and even fried chicken.  When I’m in a lazy mood, I use Bisquick to make a simple, but delicious Cowboy Casserole. As a food professional, friends and family alike ask how a chef like me can use Bisquick? It’s simple… it works!
 
Bisquick is comforting in these uncertain times when delving into cooking and baking not only for survival, but also just to escape. Bisquick is as safe, fast, predictable and reliable as they come. So, instead of using the little flour that you have left, grab the bright yellow box.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  21-25 minutes
Yield:  6 servings
 
Ingredients
1-pound lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1-can (16 oz) baked beans
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
2 cups Original Bisquick mix
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz)
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 425°F.
2. In a 10-inch skillet, cook the beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain off the fat.
3. Stir the baked beans and barbecue sauce into beef. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Pour into an ungreased 2-quart casserole.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir the Bisquick mix, milk and butter until soft dough forms.
5. Scoop and drop the dough (12 balls) onto the beef mixture.
6. Bake uncovered 18 to 22 minutes or until biscuit topping is golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake about 3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
7. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes to allow the juices to set before serving.
   

ChefSecret:  Feel free to spice it up with your favorite hot sauce, or add sautéed or raw onions for a little more zip.
#Casserole #Entrees #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #InstantPot #ComfortFoods #Bisquick #Beef

How you doin’? As we enter another month, we hope that you and yours are staying healthy and happy. For obvious reasons, I’ve been featuring many comfort food recipes in this blog series. Some of these foods may not necessarily have been on your “before Covid-19” diet. Many, not all, comfort foods are high in calories and fat, so every few days, try your best jeans on just to make sure they still fit. Pajamas and sweatpants will have you believing all is well around the waistline.

Do you know the first use of the term “comfort food”?  It has been traced back to 1966, when the Palm Beach Post used it in a story: "Adults, when under severe emotional stress, turn to what could be called 'comfort food'—foods associated with the security of childhood, like mother's chicken soup."
 
Common sense and Wikipedia tell us that eating energy-dense, high calorie, high fat, salt or sugary foods, such as ice cream, chocolate or French fries, might trigger the reward system in the human brain, which gives a distinctive pleasure or temporary sense of emotional elevation, relaxation and temporary relief. When psychological conditions are present, people often use comfort food to self-treat. Those with negative emotions tend to eat less healthful foods to experience the instant gratification that comes with it, even if only short-lived.
 
Comfort-foods fall into four categories (nostalgic foods, indulgence foods, convenience foods, and physical comfort foods) with a special emphasis on the deliberate selection of particular foods to modify mood or effect, and indications that the medical-therapeutic use of particular foods may ultimately be a matter of mood-alteration, making you feel better.
 
When you’re feeling under the weather, comfort foods seem to take too much energy to accomplish when you're achy and sniffling, so put on your most pathetic sick face, add a line whine to your voice and very nicely ask a family member to make this Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe for you.
 
DISCLAIMER: I’m really not getting paid by Instant Pot (or any other food or equipment company) to post recipes using their products, so I should qualify my posts by saying that there are other makers of similar equipment. Whenever I suggest a manufacturer of any equipment (or an ingredient), it’s because I like it, most likely own it and use it quite often to prove the recipes being posted.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Cooking time:  55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck or boneless short rib meat
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided                                     
3 medium carrots (about 12 ounces total)
3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (about 12 ounces total)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
3/4 cup frozen peas
Fresh parsley leaves, for garnish (optional)
 
Directions

1. Place the yellow onion and minced garlic cloves in a medium bowl.
2. Trim the fat from the beef chuck and cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces. Toss the beef chunks with the kosher salt and black pepper.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in an Instant Pot on the Sauté setting until shimmering.
4. Add half of the beef and sear undisturbed until browned on the bottom, 7 to 10 minutes. Using tongs transfer the browned meat to a large plate.  Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and beef chunks.
5. Add the onion and garlic to the cooker and season with salt and pepper as desired. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the vegetables.
6. Peel 3 medium carrots and cut on a slight diagonal into 1-1/2-inch pieces. Quarter 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes into1-1/2-inch chunks.
7. Add the tomato paste and dried thyme to the onions and cook until the tomato paste is darkened in color, about 1 minute.
8. Add the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits.
9. Add the carrots, potatoes, seared beef, and any accumulated juices from the beef plate, and stir to combine.
10. Lock the lid on and check that the valve is set to seal. Set to Cook for 25 minutes on HIGH pressure.  It will take about 10 minutes to come up to pressure.
11. When the cook time is up, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water together. Separately, coarsely chop some fresh parsley leaves for garnish if desired.
12. Quick release any remaining pressure. Carefully open the pressure cooker and turn on the SAUTÉ function. Stir in 3/4 cup frozen peas and the cornstarch mixture and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.
13. Taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve garnished with the parsley if desired.

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

#BeefStew #Entrees #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #InstantPot #ComfortFoods

Okay my friends...
How are you doing?  It is our 17th day staying away from others and I refuse to go stir-crazy! So, I am doing the one thing that I do best… cook.  I am trying out and creating all types of new recipes that taste great and will last me several meals (you can be a good guy and share with a neighbor).  I am going to be sharing these recipes with you daily.

I used to do a television show in San Francisco, Stump the Chef.  I invited our viewers to call in with a recipe request and I would make it on the air.  I can’t do that in this format, but I can share some great, easy-to-make recipes that you can easily duplicate at home.

I purchased an Instant Pot last year.  An Instant Pot is a multi-cooker that does the job of a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, sauté/browning pan, and warming pot.  It's a single appliance that does the job of seven different kitchen appliances or tools 10 times faster using about 70% less energy. They are not very expensive and can easily be purchased online from Amazon, Williams-Sonoma, Target and Walmart.  Shop around a bit—I’ve seen them from $80 to $200 depending on the model and the size.  Personally, I prefer the 6-quart model.

I love short ribs and I love wine so I married them together to make Instant Pot Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs.  

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield:  4 Servings

Ingredients
 1 large yellow onion
2 carrots (use the big thick ones)
2 medium stalks celery
3 to 3 1/2-pounds [1] boneless beef short ribs
3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, divided
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons fresh basil, [2] chiffonade cut
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 garlic cloves
3 cups dry red wine
[1] Many prefer to use boneless rather than bone-in meat for convenience; you won’t lose much flavor.
[2] To achieve a chiffonade cut, leaves are stacked and tightly rolled before being thinly sliced to produce long, delicate strips.

Directions

1. Dice 1 large yellow onion, peel and cut 2 medium carrots into 1-inch pieces and cut 2 celery stalks into 1-inch pieces.
2. Pat 3 to 3-1/2 pounds short ribs dry. Season all over with 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
3. Set the Instant Pot to SAUTÉ and heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil until shimmering.  Add half of the short ribs and sear on 3 sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
4. Transfer seared meat with tongs to a plate and set aside.  If needed, add the remaining 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and repeat searing the remaining short ribs, transferring them to a plate.  Note: the short ribs will not be cooked through.
5. Add 1 cup low-sodium beef broth, 4 fresh sprigs thyme, 2 bay leaves and the 2 tablespoons basil to the Instant Pot.
6. With the Instant Pot still on SAUTÉ; Add the onion, carrot, and celery, to the pot, season with the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the all-purpose flour and tomato paste, stir to coat the vegetables and cook until darkened in color, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and seared meat into the pot and stir.
7. Pour in 3 cups dry red wine and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits. Cancel sauté. 
8. Cover and cook on the HIGH PRESSURE setting for 45 minutes and naturally DE-PRESSURE the Instant Pot for 10 minutes… open the pot carefully.  The meat should be tender.
9. Transfer the short ribs to a large plate with tongs.
10. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a large glass measuring cup or bowl and reserve the cooked onions, carrots and celery and set aside. Discard the bay leaves, thyme sprigs and any loose bones.
11. Add back the veggies and serve the short ribs with the sauce spooned over the top of mashed potatoes, rice, pasta or egg noodles.

ChefSecret:  This dish always seems better the next day.  I remove the congealed fat layer when serving the next day.

#Entrees #Beef #Instant Pot