Author: cia

Bulgogi in Korean literally means “fire beef.” Thinly sliced sirloin steak is marinated in a soy sauce mixture before frying. It is usually served with Boston lettuce leaves, which the Koreans also call ssam, so that you can fill a lettuce leaf with some meat, some rice, a little bit of kimchi, or Korean pickles, and wrap it in a bundle.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp of hot chili sesame oil
2 tbsps brown sugar
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 small knob ginger, peeled, grated
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, julienned
Boston lettuce leaves
vegetable oil

1. Prepare marinade while thawing the beef. In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, garlic and ginger. Divide marinade in two. In half of the marinade, toss half of the onions and bell pepper and set aside to use as dipping sauce. Marinate the beef before it completely thaws out in the other half. Let sit for a couple of hours, covered.
2. Over medium-high heat, pour oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add onions and bell peppers until onions are soft. Transfer to a plate and wipe skillet clean with a paper towel.
3. Cook the beef in small batches, turning often, until browned. Return the cooked onions and bell peppers and stir-fry with the beef. Serve with Boston lettuce leaves.

This is a great recipe from epicurious.com. It’s time-consuming but the end product is so satisfying. If you can’t find dried herbes de Provence, you can make your own with some dried basil, dried thyme and fennel seeds. A full-bodied Cabernet will also do if you don’t have a red Zinfandel. The original recipe called for Niçoise black olives but I just picked up a bottle of regular black olives I found in the store.

Ingredients:
4 pounds meaty beef short ribs
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 package of baby carrots
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup pitted black olives
1 bulb garlic, peeled
2 tbsps all-purpose flour
1 tbsp herbes de Provence
2 cups red Zinfandel
2 cups beef broth
1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes with juice
1 bay leaf
flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 300º. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the short ribs with the salt and pepper. In batches and without crowding, add the short ribs to the pot and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the ribs to a platter.
2. Pour off all but 2 tbsps of the fat from the pot. Add the onion, chopped carrots and celery to the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring ocassionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, herbs and flour, and cook for about a minute.
3. Stir in the wine and the broth and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping off the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes and bay leaf. Return the short ribs with their juice to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Cover tightly, transfer to the oven, and braise, stirring occasionally to change the position of the ribs, until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender, about 2 1/2 hours. During the last 15 minutes, add the baby carrots.
5. Transfer the short ribs to a deep serving platter and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. Skim off the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid and discard the bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is reduced to your desired sauce consistency, about 10 minutes.
6. Add the olives and cook to heat them through, about 3 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
7. Spoon the sauce with the carrots over the ribs and sprinkle with the parsley before serving.