Freezer cleanup

I purchased some short ribs a while ago after I made Mark Bittman's Short Ribs with Coffee & Chilies. I was planning on making the exact same recipe again- they were that spicy and good. But the short ribs sat in my freezer and soon the weather got nicer and I didn't want to make something so heavy. I would still need to braise the short ribs to make them tender, but I wanted something less stew-y. I turned to Mark Bittman again (I just like him & his recipes a lot, ok?!) and made his Anise-Scented Short Ribs.





Holy cow! While it didn't exactly line up with my idea of a lighter meal, this was amazing and totally topped the Coffee & Chilies version. The short ribs were flavored with star anise, ginger and fish sauce. I had purchased a bottle of nuoc mam a few months ago but opened it the first time when I made this. Hooray for anchovies! Another absolutely amazing thing- the short ribs I bought cost a total of $5.04 (at Kenrick's) and it was definitely enough to feed us both. The rest of the ingredients were cheap. Even if you have to buy star anise and fish sauce, it's hardly an investment. And a small knob of ginger costs like thirty cents at Whole Foods, so don't be afraid (and don't settle for ground ginger).





This was so good. So good in fact, I remarked "Oh my god, this is so good!" like fifty times while eating it. I fell into a new flavor coma wondering why I wasn't raised on fish sauce and star anise instead of fish sticks and mac & cheese. Do I have to say anything else!?? Because I can't even articulate how delicious this was in a totally new way to me. Go make this!

Anise-Scented Short Ribs
From How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

1 tablespoon peanut or neutral vegetable oil (I used canola)
3 pounds meaty short ribs, more or less
Freshly ground black pepper or Szechwan peppercorns to taste
1 medium-to-large onion, chopped
5 nickel-sized slices fresh ginger or 2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
5 whole star anise
1/4 cup soy sauce or fish sauce (nuoc mam or nam pla, available at Asian markets) (I think you should go for the fish sauce, duh)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon rice or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
salt (optional)

1: Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or similar pot. Brown the short ribs well on all sides, seasoning them as they cook with the pepper. Regulate the heat so that the ribs don't burn. This process will take 20 minutes, so don't rush it (You can also do the initial browning in the oven: Preheat to 500°F and roast the ribs, turning once or twice, until brown all over; time will be about the same, 20 minutes.)

2: Remove the ribs with a slotted spoon and pour off most of the fat. Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger and garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except the carrots and salt. Bring to a boil and return the ribs to the pot. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook gently, turning the ribs occasionally, for about an hour.

3: Add the carrots, re-cover the pot, and cook for about 30 minutes more, or until the ribs are tender and the meat is just about falling off the bone. Turn the oven to 200°F. With a slotted spoon, remove the ribs and the carrots to a plater and place in the oven. Discard and ginger pieces and the star anise. Turn the heat under the pot to high and reduce the liquid, stirring, until it is thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Taste and add salt or more soy sauce if necessary. Spoon the sauce of the ribs and serve with white rice. (I served mine with jasmine rice and blanched green beans, because it's what I had.)