I know, I know, my last update was a slow cooker dish too, but I just had to make something in my crock pot again because look what I got on Friday:

We had our annual prop sale in the test kitchen / studio and tons of wares sent to us from companies and retailers (to test) all went on sale for crazy cheap prices. I got this $65 crockpot for $20 and frankly it looks like a rocketship compared to my old one. And when Pam was giving out packages of short ribs she ended up not using, I snatched up a couple pounds and knew immediately what I’d be doing with them this weekend.

I’ve had this dish bookmarked since right before summer started and finally felt like it was the right time (aka 60° and cloudy) to make them. Braised short ribs are something I’ve lovingly talked about before, and this is a fun Vietnamese twist on the flavors. These short ribs are unbelievably hearty and rich and have a nice subtle flavor from the ginger. The refreshing rice noodles served alongside (or under) help cut the richness of the beef, which may sound like heresy, but once you taste it, you’ll be on board.

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Slow Cooker Vietnamese Short Ribs with Rice Noodles

Serves 4

Based on the recipe from Healthy Delicious.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, just pour all the liquid for the short ribs into the pot you sear them in, put the lid on, and cook in a 350° F oven for 3 hours.

Ingredients

For the short ribs:

• 1 Tbsp. canola or peanut oil
• 2 lbs. beef short ribs, trimmed
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small knob fresh ginger, sliced
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• ¼ cup dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Sriracha
• 2 cups beef stock

For the rice noodles:

• 6 oz. rice noodles, cooked
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into curls (ribbons)
• 1 English cucumber, peeled and shredded
• Juice of 1 lime
• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 tsp. Sriracha
• ½ cup torn cilantro
• ¼ cup torn mint leaves
• 1 tsp. minced jalapeno

Directions

1.) Heat a large skillet over high heat and pour in the oil. Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels, and then sear in hot oil on all sides. Turn after about 1 minute on each side, for a total of 6 minutes. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon and toss in the shallots and garlic. Quickly stir around for 30 seconds getting some color on the vegetables, but don’t burn them. Remove with a slotted spoon and kill the heat.

2.) Pour the ¼ cup fish sauce, ¼ cup dark soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. Sriracha, and 2 cups beef stock into the bowl of a 5-6 qt. slow cooker. Whisk in the cooked shallot, garlic, and fresh ginger. Put the short ribs into the slow cooker and turn to coat in the sauce a few times. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or until fork tender and the bone slides out easily.

3.) Before serving, prepare the rice noodles. Whisk together the lime juice, 3 Tbsp. fish sauce, 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp. honey, 1 tsp. Sriracha, cilantro, mint, and jalapeno. Toss noodles with carrots, cucumber, and sauce. Serve alongside or under short ribs.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: asian, autumn, beef, crock pot, pasta

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Sriracha is one of those running jokes amongst people in the food & beverage industry. You can walk into any kind of restaurant kitchen – Italian, French, Latin American, etc, – and more than likely, a bottle of the green-lidded fiery red sauce will be found somewhere. For some, it’s a substitute for everything from ketchup to mayonnaise, and will be poured on any and everything they eat. I always think of the episode of Top Chef when Casey put it into her Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. I’m not that hardcore, but it is delicious. It’s simply a paste of chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. Spicy, sweet, and commonly seen with Thai or Vietnamese food, it’s well-loved (and rightly so).

So when I saw a recipe for buttermilk sriracha salad dressing a few months ago I kept it in the back of my mind, waiting to use it until the right idea struck. And finally, it did.

I’m a big fan of indulging in spicy chicken wings dipped in ridiculously rich and cooling sauces, so the idea of chicken drumsticks dipped in this srirarcha buttermilk ‘ranch’ seemed perfect. Making a Vietnamese-themed marinade (I know I know srirarcha is Thai but it’s right there on the table at any Vietnamese restaurant, too!) and grilling the chicken makes this a fresh and fun summer dish and great to serve at parties. You can go with wings and legs (or even breasts), just use whatever chicken you like best. It’s all good.

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Vietnamese Chicken Drumsticks

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 12 chicken drumsticks (about 1½ lbs.)
• 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 jalapeño, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
• 2 tsp. cane sugar
• 1 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1.) Combine all ingredients in a large plastic bag and shake to combine and coat. Set the bag in a dish and refrigerate 30 minutes to 4 hours to marinate. Once marinated, discard sauce.

2.) Preheat a grill pan (or charcoal grill) and grill chicken until done, about 12-14 minutes. Serve with Sriracha ‘Ranch’ for dipping.

Sriracha ‘Ranch’ Dressing

Makes about 1 cup dressing.

If you’d like to make this more dip-like than dressing, just reverse the ratio of buttermilk-to-yogurt.

Based on the recipe from Lime Cake.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups buttermilk, shaken
• ¼ cup sriracha
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• Salt to taste

Directions

1.) Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Season to taste. Chill until ready to serve.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: asian, chicken, dressing, spicy, summer

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Time to take a little break from fall/squash/cinnamon flavors and do something a little different. This post is a miniature tribute to two things: one of my best friends Rachel and Gourmet magazine.  I didn’t intend for this to happen but it was just one of those realizations as you begin to work with something. Rach teaches in Bahrain but is from Minnesota, so we’re both Midwestern fall-loving girls at heart. Since she doesn’t really get to experience autumn, this was a way for me to give her something fun and easy to cook, and give me a break from typical autumnal flavor profiles.

As for Gourmet, this is a web-exclusive recipe of theirs, which is my sad little homage to a fantastic magazine that will be missed. Word is the website will be gone come the new year, and after looking at my bookmarked recipes and seeing row after row of entries with little black and white “G”s marking them, I was disheartened. I get inspired by food photography and food print almost more than anything, so the idea that Gourmet, one of the best (if not the best) will no longer be there to give me ideas is heartbreaking. So I salute you, Rach in Bahrain with no fall leaves, and Gourmet magazine for inspiring me all these years.

Now for the recipe – this is a super quick and yummy noodle dish, perfect for substitutions and open to putting your own spin on it. I’m a huge fan of spicy eggplant dishes from Asian take-out, so I threw that in, with some more spices and soy to layer the flavors. The flavor is rich and spicy, but also refreshing from the cilantro and basil. And like any good wok dish, it’s all about super high heat with short cooking time, which makes this a perfect fast weeknight dinner.

Curried Pork Noodles

Based on the recipe from Gourmet (RIP).

Fish sauce is an Asian ingredient found in almost every supermarket (even my local Wal-Mart) but if you can’t find it just sub with soy sauce or rice vinegar. Also, since fish sauce and soy sauce are super salty naturally, don’t add table salt to season as you cook. It shouldn’t be necessary and if it is, wait until the very end. And in case you can’t find rice noodles (I always have trouble for some reason) I’ve used angel hair pasta for this kind of dish many times and it still comes out tasty.

Makes 5-6 dinner servings.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces dried thin rice noodles (or 8 ounces angel hair pasta)
• 2 TBL vegetable oil, divided
• 1 pound ground pork
• 3 garlic cloves, 2 smashed and 1 chopped
• ½ yellow or white onion, cut into strips
• 1 bell pepper, seeded, cut into strips
• 1 baby eggplant or 1 small eggplant, cut into cubes
• 2 TBL curry powder
• 3 TBL Asian fish sauce (sub with soy sauce if needed)
• ¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ¾ cup chopped fresh basil
• Large dash red pepper flakes
• 2 TBL soy sauce
• Sriracha (Asian chili sauce)

Directions

1.)  If using rice noodles, cover with boiling water and soak until tender, about 7 minutes. Reserve ½ cup soaking water, then strain noodles and transfer to a large bowl. If using angel hair pasta, cook to directions and reserve ½ cup pasta water, strain, and transfer to a large bowl.

2.) While the noodles soak, heat 1 tablespoon oil either in a wok or very large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add pork and garlic, stirring occasionally and breaking up lumps of meat, just until meat is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.

3.) Add the remaining tablespoon oil to wok and cook onion, eggplant, and bell peppers over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 3 minutes. Return pork to skillet and add curry powder, then cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in ¼ cup reserved water.

4.) Add noodles to pork mixture along with fish sauce, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, and herbs. Toss to combine, adding more water, fish sauce, soy, and sriracha if desired.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: asian, fast and easy, pasta, savory, spicy

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