The Wall Street Journal-20080126-WEEKEND JOURNAL- Food - Drink -- Chefs At Home- Breaking From Tradition- A Colorado chef gives ranch cuisine a modern makeover
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WEEKEND JOURNAL; Food & Drink -- Chefs At Home: Breaking From Tradition; A Colorado chef gives ranch cuisine a modern makeover
THE CHEF: CLYDE NELSON, the chef for more than 15 years at the Home Ranch, an upscale dude ranch in Clark, Colo.
KNOWN FOR: His creative take on traditional ranch cuisine. Instead of the classic oversize plates of a pound-plus of meat and buttered potatoes, for example, Mr. Nelson might serve a 6-ounce portion of organic, grass-fed beef with a side of pomme frites dusted with herbs and truffle oil. "I try to change the perception of typical ranch cuisine by making it more sophisticated," he says.
THE MEAL: A simple, hearty dish of beef or buffalo short ribs in a rich sauce. Mr. Nelson suggests serving the ribs with sage polenta and roasted seasonal vegetables. He encourages using a favorite kind of potato and any other kind of root vegetable, such as beets.
KITCHEN TIP: Seasoning ribs for at least two days will make them more succulent. Mr. Nelson also braises them in a heavy-duty pot with a tight-fitting lid so that they cook evenly.
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Beef (or Buffalo) Short Ribs Braised in Beer
Yield: 4 servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus seasoning time of 1 to 3 days
Cooking time: 2 to 2 1/2 hours
4 beef or buffalo short ribs (about 3/4 lb each)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1/2 pound carrots (about 4), chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium onions, quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes (about 1 medium tomato)
Bouquet garni of 4 fresh sage leaves, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves, 1 small dried chile de arbol and 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2-3 cups beef or chicken stock or water
1 bottle dark beer
-- Season ribs liberally with salt and store, covered, in the refrigerator for one to three days (if frozen, allow enough time to thaw ribs completely before salting). Bring meat to room temperature before cooking.
-- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large ovenproof casserole dish or dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Meanwhile, pat ribs dry, season with salt and pepper, and dredge in flour, shaking off excess flour. Add the oil to the pot and sear the ribs until golden on all sides, 4-5 minutes each side. Transfer ribs to a plate as browned.
-- Add the carrots and onions to the casserole and cook until vegetables begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for a minute. Return the ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot and then add the tomatoes, bouquet garni, stock and beer. Mix well. Return to a boil, cover and place in oven for 2 hours.
-- Remove the casserole from the oven and transfer the ribs to a plate. Carefully strain the hot braising liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl, pressing on the solids with a spoon or spatula to extract all juices. Discard the vegetables and bouquet garni. Skim the fat from the surface of the braising liquid and return the juices to the casserole.
-- Return ribs to the pan and continue to cook on top of the stove, partially covered, over low to medium-low heat if ribs are still tough until they easily separate from the bone. If the sauce is loose, remove the lid and simmer until sauce reduces to the desired consistency.
-- Skim any remaining fat from the surface of the rib sauce. Spoon polenta (see recipe, below) onto a pasta bowl or rimmed dinner plate. Place a rib on top of polenta. Arrange some roasted winter vegetables in the bowl. Spoon sauce over the vegetables and a little over the ribs.
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Creamy Sage Polenta
Yields: 4 servings (about 4 cups)
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
3 cups water or chicken stock
1 cup milk
Salt
1 cup polenta or stone ground cornmeal
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
Freshly ground black pepper
-- Bring the water or chicken stock and milk to a strong simmer in a heavy 5 1/2-quart pot over high heat. Add salt to taste. Gradually sprinkle the polenta into the pot, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the polenta, stirring often with a wooden spoon until it gets very thick, about 10 to 15 minutes.
-- Stir in the butter, cheese and sage. Adjust salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
