Saucy Short Ribs

3 ½ - 4 lbs beef short ribs, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 bottle Heinz Barbeque sauce with onions
¼ cup honey
¼ cup orange or pineapple juice
2 slices pineapple, drained and cut into small pieces, or 1 Tbsp orange rind

Brown ribs in preheated 500°F oven, uncovered, for 30 min. Pour off fat.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine barbeque sauce with remaining ingredients and pour over ribs. Cover and return to 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Baste well. Continue to bake an additional 15 minutes or until very fork tender.

Uncover, place under broiler for 5-10 min, turning frequently until well glazed and crusty.

If making ahead, remove ribs from the sauce after baking and chill separately. Then remove layer of fat that forms on top of sauce. Reheat meat in sauce for 15 minutes before serving. Serves 4-6.

Sarah & Jason

Lamb Osso Bucco from Piccolo Piccolo Ristorante

Piccolo Piccolo was a favorite Pittsburgh restaurant, now closed. This recipe brings memories of Frank greeting us at the door, great meals, then Eddie, the grouchy bartender, serving grappa at the bar afterward.

1 ½ cups chopped carrot
1 ½ cups chopped celery
2 Tbsp margarine
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 (1 ½ - 2 lb) large lamb foreshank or 2 lamb hindshanks (can sub veal)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup flour
1 cup beef stock
1 cup dry red wine, preferably Burgundy or Chianti
1 cup marinara
1 long stem of fresh Rosemary, cut in half
1 tsp chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, plus garnish
2 cloves whole garlic, smashed with side of knife

In a pan, sauté carrots and celery in margarine until they begin to soften. Set aside. Heat oven to 300 degrees.

Pour vegetable oil into a skillet large enough to hold the shanks and heat on high until it is hot, but not smoking. Sprinkle lamb with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; dust with flour and sear on all sides in the skillet until golden brown. Place shanks in a roasting pan that will allow the liquid to be halfway up the side of the pan when it is added.

Reduce heat to medium and add sautéed vegetables and beef stock. Add the red wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom. Add marinara and blend. Put the resulting sauce in the roasting pan with the shanks. Add half piece of Rosemary, 1 tsp parsley, and the garlic cloves.

Cover and cook in the oven for 4 hours, basting every half hour. When lamb is tender, skim the oil from the drippings. Place shanks on a plate and garnish with defatted drippings, a pinch of parsley, and the remaining half piece of Rosemary. Serve with roasted potatoes or risotto. Serves 2.

Sarah & Jason

Marinated Mozzarella Brochettes

1 lb marinated mini mozzarella balls*
½ lb (about 25) brine-cured black olives, pitted and halved (can sub Kalamatta olives)
8-12 oz jar roasted red peppers**, cut into ¾ inch squares
wooden party picks or toothpicks

Thread an olive half, a roasted pepper square, and a mini mozzarella ball onto each of the wooden picks. Arrange brochettes on a platter garnished with leaf lettuce or parsley.

*If marinated mozzarella is unavailable, combine ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar, ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried basil, and ¼ tsp dried thyme and marinate plain mozzarella balls or fresh cubes chilled overnight.

Sarah & Jason

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 cups cooked chicken, diced or chopped
4-8 oz Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
12-18 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup blue cheese or ranch salad dressing
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1 bunch of celery, washed and cut into sticks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine chicken, hot sauce, cream cheese, dressing, and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Adjust amounts of hot sauce and/or cream cheese to make the dip mild, medium, or hot! Pour mixture into a greased baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

Sarah & Jason

Crème Brulee French Toast

1 stick (1/2 c.) unsalted butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp corn syrup
2 baguettes or 1 loaf French bread
5 large eggs
1 ½ c. half & half
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Grand Marnier
¼ tsp salt

In a small heavy saucepan, melt butter with brown sugar and corn syrup over moderate heat, stirring until smooth and pour into a greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish.

Cut 10 to 12 (1 inch thick) slices, reserving ends for another use. Arrange bread slices in one layer in the baking dish, squeezing them slightly to fit. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, half&half, vanilla, Grand Marnier, and salt until combined well and ladle evenly over bread. Chill bread mixture, covered, overnight.

Preheat over to 350°F and bring bread to room temperature. Bake bread mixture, uncovered, in the middle of oven until puffed and edges are pale golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Serves 6.

Laura

Moroccan Beef Kefta with Chopped Vegetable Salad

For Beef Kefta

1½ pounds Ground beef
½ cup Grated onion
2 Cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoon Finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoon Finely chopped fresh coriander
3 teaspoon Finely chopped fresh mint or 1 teaspoon dried mint
2 teaspoon Finely chopped fresh marjoram or 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon Ground cumin
½ teaspoon Paprika
¼ teaspoon Cayenne

For Chopped Vegetable Salad

1 Seedless cucumber, peeled and finely diced
1 large Tomato, seeded and finely diced
1 Green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 Hot italian-style pepper, seeded and finely diced
2 Cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoon Finely chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon Olive oil, (up to 3)

In a large bowl combine the beef, onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, mint, marjoram, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and cayenne. Cover and let sit for one hour. Soak 12 wooden skewers in water for one hour. In a separate bowl combine cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, hot pepper, garlic, mint, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper tossing to combine. Cover and let marinate at room temperature until ready to serve. Preheat grill or broiler. Dip hands into a bowl of water. Shape and pack about a 1/3 cup of the meat mixture into 2 sausage-shapes on a soaked wooden skewer. Repeat procedure for remaining meat and skewers. Grill the keftas on both sides until cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve hot with chopped salad. Yield: 6 servings.

Laura

Grilled Hamburgers

Hamburgers on the grill were never like this!

2 lbs ground sirloin
4 shallots, minced
1-1/2 tbsp capers
5 tbsp dry red wine
1-1/2 tsp salt
5 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
5 tbsp coarsely ground peppercorns

Mix the sirloin, capers, wine, and salt together in a large bowl until well combined. Divide the meat mixtures into 8 equal parts and shape each part into a hamburger patty.

Spread each side of the patties with 1 teaspoon of the mustard (2 teaspoons per patty), then press 1 teaspoon of the ground peppercorns lightly into each side of the patties (again 2 teaspoons per hamburger). Let stand at room temprature for 30 minutes.

Prepare charcoal or wood chips for grilling.

Meanwhile, prepare the tomato-leek sauce:

4 tbsp butter
2 leeks, quartered and minced
5 ripe tomatoes, diced
3 tbsp cognac
2 tbsp fresh tarragon
3 tbsp cream
Salt to taste

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes longer. Stir in the Cognac, tarragon, cream, and salt to taste. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes and keep warm until ready to serve.

When the coals are hot, grill the hamburgers to desired doneness. Serve on a bed of the tomato-leek sauce or, if preferred, serve with the sauce alongside.

Makes 8 hamburgers.

Sarah & Jason