A downside and an upside.
Those of you who’ve been reading along lately have doubtless ascertained that gathering up animals for hauling is just about my least favorite part of this farm adventure. Nevertheless, that dreaded task is generally accomanied by one of my favorites – working with our little butcher shops to decide what cuts we’ll choose from each animal harvested. Every year at this time, I pull out The Joy of Cooking and Julia Child to review the meat diagrams and re-read the beef, pork and lamb recipe sections. I also dig out the pile of recipes I’ve ripped out of magazines and printed off the web to try when I’ve got all my cuts available to me. In addition, I consult with my regular customers about what preferences they have. Then I call the butcher and make it happen -
This year I had a few special orders for Beef Standing Rib Roast, a cut I’ve never tried before, but am terrifically excited about. The Rib Roast is my absolute favorite portion of the steer, and preparing a fancier version is going to be quite fun. A few years ago, I had an order for a Pork Crown Roast, a similarly imposing presentation, and now I like to have one for us to eat each year. When I served one recently at a dinner with guests this November, we both got rave reviews!
I rarely cook meat in the gardening months, frankly I barely cook at all when I’m busy with the vegetable harvest. So winter is my opportunity to flex my meat-cooking muscles and I thoroughly enjoy the exercise! Here’s one recipe I’ve been saving from Real Simple. It employs the slow cooker, which is perfect to warm up the house on a chilly day.
Asian Slow-Cooker Short Ribs
1/2 C soy sauce
1/3 C brown sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 TBSP grated fresh ginger
1/2 t crushed red pepper
8 beef short ribs (4 lbs)
4 medium carrots, peeled and halved crosswise
1 small green cabbage (1 lb), quartered
2 TBSP cornstarch
1 TBSP sesame oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced
In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, ginger and red pepper. Add the short ribs and carrots and arrange i a single layer. Lay the cabbage on top. Cook, covered, on high for 5 to 6 hours (low for 7 to 8), until the meat is tender and easily pulls away from the bones.
Transfer the cabbage, short ribs, and carrots to plates. With a large spoon, skim the fat from the cooking liquid and discard. Turn the slow cooker to high, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 1 TBSP water until smooth. Whisk into the cooking liquid and cook until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil. Spoon the sauce over the ribs and veggies and sprinkle with the scallions.
