This Weeks Saturday Night Feast

This evening we will be trying a recipe I picked up from last weeks Wall Street Journal. The recipe is from Chef Brad Farmerie, executive chef of Public and its adjacent wine bar, the Monday Room, in New York.

Here is the recipe-

Five-Spice-and-Cocoa-Braised Short Ribs
[Braised short ribs]

Yield: 4 servings
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours 15 minutes

4 pounds well-marbled beef short ribs, cut 2 inches thick and preferably with the bone
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup soy sauce
The zest and juice of 1 orange
1 1/2 teaspoons ketchup
3 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the short ribs in an ovenproof casserole just big enough to fit them snugly.

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the stock, soy sauce, zest, juice, ketchup, five-spice powder, brown sugar, cocoa powder, garlic, shallot and thyme. Pour the mixture over the short ribs.

• Cover the baking container tightly with foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 21/2 to 3 hours (depending on the size of the ribs). The meat should be falling off the bone and give little resistance when pressed with a fork. Uncover and return to the oven to allow the juices to thicken, about 15 minutes more.

• Transfer the ribs to a plate and carefully pour the braising liquid into a large glass measuring cup. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes so the fat will rise to the top. Using a small ladle or cup, skim off the fat.

• Serve the ribs with a few spoonfuls of sauce drizzled over the top. If making ahead of time, pour the defatted sauce back over the ribs and cover the dish with foil. Reheat for 20 minutes before serving.

Here's what we have so far.



Now I couldn't find Chinese five spice anywhere from some strange reason, so I turned to -who else?- my mom for help. She had me go with a combination of anise, cinnamon, and fennel which is three out of the five spices. Works for me. Apparently one of the spices is cloves, and I hate cloves so I think I'm better off with this.



They are cooking as I type and I'll post a shot of the final product, bon appetit!