Blogs
Short Ribs with Coffee & Chilies
I saw this Mark Bittman recipe for Short Ribs with Coffee and Chilies in the NYTimes and wanted to try it. I love short ribs, but the recipe I usually make is insanely delicious but very fiddly, and it has sugar in it which is a no go for the whole No White Food thing. I recently made a chicken dish with coffee and it turned out well so I was intrigued. So, the Bittman recipe was really much easier- still time-consuming, as the things have to cook for around 3 hours, and that's after you brown them- but relatively low maintenance and low prep. Get the recipe here.
About the chilies: I have a deep-seated fear of chilies because a few years back I got 2nd degree burns all over both hands from a chili pepper, which sounds like an urban myth I'm sure, but this wasn't my brother's girlfriend's old boss's uncle or something- it was me. They were burns, real burns, as if from a fire. I was in the ER. Both palms entirely blistered. It was horribly painful. So cutting up chilies is not my favorite activity. Usually I just get someone else to do it, but if no one is available, then I always protect my hand with a glove or wrap it in plastic wrap. It makes for awkward cutting (I probably should have YouTubed it, now that I think about it) but it's worth the caution because some chilies can mess with you. And remember, don't touch your eyes, and do be sure to wash your hands extremely well before (and after, obviously) going to the restroom. Burns on your hands are one thing, but there are worse places to get burned. Seriously.
About the coffee: When using coffee in a recipe, especially if it's for dinner, you should always use decaf. I doubled this recipe so there were 16 full ounces of coffee in it. I know for me, that would have kept me up last night, and there are people out there who are even more sensitive to caffeine. The caffeine is not mitigated by a long cooking time, it remains. So if you don't want to buy decaf coffee grounds then just buy a large cup from a cafe or corner store and use it in the recipe. Keeping your guests up with night sweats is not a nice sendoff. This is true for all recipes that call for coffee. I was once kept up nearly all night after eating 2 servings of a fabulous tiramisu that in hindsight probably had loads of caffeinated espresso in it.
About the recipe: I did the ribs times 1 1/2 and everything else times 2 in this recipe. I would let it sit for a few minutes and ladle some of the grease off of the top before serving, because the sauce looks a little greasy. I cooked this for longer than recommended because everything else was taking too long, and because I like very tender short ribs that really truly fall apart. That is one great thing about short ribs- you basically can't overcook them.
About the chilies: I have a deep-seated fear of chilies because a few years back I got 2nd degree burns all over both hands from a chili pepper, which sounds like an urban myth I'm sure, but this wasn't my brother's girlfriend's old boss's uncle or something- it was me. They were burns, real burns, as if from a fire. I was in the ER. Both palms entirely blistered. It was horribly painful. So cutting up chilies is not my favorite activity. Usually I just get someone else to do it, but if no one is available, then I always protect my hand with a glove or wrap it in plastic wrap. It makes for awkward cutting (I probably should have YouTubed it, now that I think about it) but it's worth the caution because some chilies can mess with you. And remember, don't touch your eyes, and do be sure to wash your hands extremely well before (and after, obviously) going to the restroom. Burns on your hands are one thing, but there are worse places to get burned. Seriously.
About the coffee: When using coffee in a recipe, especially if it's for dinner, you should always use decaf. I doubled this recipe so there were 16 full ounces of coffee in it. I know for me, that would have kept me up last night, and there are people out there who are even more sensitive to caffeine. The caffeine is not mitigated by a long cooking time, it remains. So if you don't want to buy decaf coffee grounds then just buy a large cup from a cafe or corner store and use it in the recipe. Keeping your guests up with night sweats is not a nice sendoff. This is true for all recipes that call for coffee. I was once kept up nearly all night after eating 2 servings of a fabulous tiramisu that in hindsight probably had loads of caffeinated espresso in it.
About the recipe: I did the ribs times 1 1/2 and everything else times 2 in this recipe. I would let it sit for a few minutes and ladle some of the grease off of the top before serving, because the sauce looks a little greasy. I cooked this for longer than recommended because everything else was taking too long, and because I like very tender short ribs that really truly fall apart. That is one great thing about short ribs- you basically can't overcook them.
Comments