Tag Archives: pimentón

Braised Pork Ribs and Potatoes with Fried Herb Crumbs

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Here’s a lovely long braised dish perfect for a cool weather weekend afternoon into evening. Baby back ribs are braised till they fall off the bone, then garnished with an herby crumb topping. Plus a bonus recipe for Braised Leeks with Bacon and Cream.

Admittedly, we always think of baby back ribs as an outdoor barbecue kind of dinner. It has never dawned on us to showcase the ribs as a cool weather meal. Now that we have enjoyed the fruits of our labor, these ribs are sure to make a showing again in the near future.

The bread crumb topping is optional, but adds a tremendous depth of flavor and a nice crunch factor. Cracking the new potatoes in half with the tip of a knife helps them to release their starch and therefore thicken the sauce a bit.

As an accompaniment, we prepared a side of Braised Leeks with Bacon and Cream (shown below), originally from Molly Stevens “All About Braising” cookbook. A while back, we enjoyed the same recipe using thyme, but minus the cream. Either option braises the leeks slowly in chicken broth until they collapse into blessed tenderness.

On our initial trip to the grocery store, there were only a few lousy looking leeks with hardly any white parts, so we rethought our scouting expedition and went to a local Asian Mart known to carry great produce. Their leeks were phenomenal, the best we’ve ever seen.

Try to coordinate the cooking times of both the ribs and the leeks so that they are done braising at about the same time.

Braised Pork Ribs and Potatoes with Fried Herb Crumbs

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 3-4 lbs. baby back ribs
  • 1 tsp. pimentón de la Vera
  • 4 garlic cloves, bashed and peeled
  • 4 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1½ tsp. cumin seeds, lightly crushed
  • 5 oz. white wine
  • 1 large. onion, peeled and finely sliced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cups chicken stock, homemade, ideally
  • 3/4 lbs. new potatoes

For the Crumbs

  • 4 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated
  • 3 oz. fresh white breadcrumbs
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 6 sage leaves, shredded

Directions

  1. Arrange the ribs in a large dish, add the pimentón, two of the bashed garlic cloves, two tablespoons of the olive oil, a teaspoon of the crushed cumin seeds and 2 ounces of the white wine. Toss to coat the ribs, then cover and leave to marinate for at least three hours (or put in the fridge overnight).
  2. Heat the oven to 340F. Heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in a deep casserole dish on a medium-high heat. Take the ribs out of their marinade (keep the marinade for later), and sear for four to five minutes on each side, until browned all over.
  3. Transfer the ribs to a plate, add the onion to the pan and sauté, stirring, for 10 minutes, until brown. Add the remaining garlic and cumin seeds, stir to combine, then return the ribs to the pan.
  4. Pour in the remaining 3 ounces of white wine, leave to bubble for a minute, then add the bay leaves, stock and reserved marinade. Season well and bring to a boil, then cover and transfer to the oven to cook for an hour to an hour and a half, until the meat is tender and beginning to pull away from the bones.
  5. Crack the new potatoes in half with the tip of a knife (this helps them to release their starch), then add to the casserole dish and cook for 30-40 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and starting to break apart a bit and thicken the sauce.
  6. Meanwhile, make the herby crumbs. Put the oil in a frying pan on a medium-high heat, fry the garlic for 10 seconds, then add the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and sage.
  7. Remove the lid from the casserole, sprinkle the crumb mix all over the top, then bake uncovered for a further 20 minutes.
  8. Then put under a broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp the top. Serve in shallow bowls with lots of the lovely sauce.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe from José Pizzaro

Spanish Beef, Red Pepper and Paprika Stew

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In Milk Street’s Fast and Slow Instant Pot cookbook, they explain Chilindrón, a hearty stew from Aragon in northeastern Spain, gets savory, meaty flavor from jamón serrano (dry-cured Spanish ham) balanced by subtly sweet tomato and red bell peppers; while paprika adds earthy flavor as well as a rich, brick-red color. Chicken, lamb or game sometimes are used, but here the succulence of a beef chuck roast is preferred.

In place of jamón serrano, the recipe uses easier-to-find Italian prosciutto, which has a similar texture and salty, nutty flavor. Pancetta, a fattier cut, works in a pinch, though it lacks some complexity. We served ours with garlicky mashed potatoes, but you could also pair with roasted potatoes or warm, crusty bread.

We used sweet smoked paprika (pimentón dulce). Spanish pimentón can be spicy, sweet, or smoky, but it’s almost always better than the regular grocery store paprika which is usually machine-dried and lacks the smoky, sweet depth of pimentón. It is essential to Spanish cooking, flavoring such national dishes as chorizo and paella. Whereas paprika from the U.S. usually comes from red bell peppers, Spanish pimentón comes from a wide variety of local peppers with differing levels of sweetness and spice.

Don’t use bacon in place of the prosciutto or pancetta. Its sweetness and intense smokiness will overpower the other ingredients. Similarly, don’t use deli ham, which is wet-cured and typically has an overly assertive artificial smoke flavor.

Spanish Beef, Red Pepper and Paprika Stew

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 10 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • 1 large shallot, halved and thickly sliced
  • 1 plum tomato, cored, seeded and chopped
  • ½ cup jarred roasted red peppers, patted dry and finely chopped
  • 4 oz. prosciutto or pancetta, chopped
  • 4 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary, divided
  • 1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
  • 3 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Directions

  1. On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the garlic, shallot, tomato, roasted peppers and prosciutto. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is very soft and the tomatoes have broken down, about 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in 3 teaspoons of rosemary and the paprika. Add the beef and stir to combine, then distribute in an even layer.
  3. Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 35 minutes.
  4. When pressure cooking is complete, let the pressure reduce naturally for 15 minutes, then quick-release the remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.
  5. Drain the contents of the pot in a sieve over a large bowl. Pour the liquid in a fat separator, keeping the juices and discarding the fat. Put the meat mixture back into the pot.
  6. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with 6 tablespoons of the cooking liquid until smooth, then stir the mixture into the pot with the meat along with the remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary.
  7. Select Less/Low Sauté. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
  8. Press Cancel to turn off the pot. Stir in the lemon juice, then taste and season with salt and pepper.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Julia Rackow for Milk Street