Screw You Restaurants

What is it about New Years Eve that turns restaurants into giant assholes.

I had my NYE plans set, a table at The Richardson, setup for free and without issue. I figured I'd eat nearby and walk over with my boyf

riend. My plans were tainted when the nearby restaurants,

specifically Sel de Mer, refused to take a reservation. I spoke with 2 individuals who were going to talk to management to see if they could "bend the rules" a bit so I could enjoy a delicious dinner on NYE.

Normally this place is packed, so I didn't want to just show up there and wait in the cold for a seat (its a small joint). They wouldn't do reservations for any less than 6. It's pretty bullshit if you ask me. Everyone in the area was taking reservations but they had those fancy pre fixe menus and I didn't feel like engorging on a $65 dinner. I need room in my belly for fancy cocktails.

So, after some deliberation, I decided to throw the whole idea of going out to dinner, well, out the window of course.

Screw Your Restaurants - I'll make my own fancy and delicious dinner.

I decided to do something relatively easy since I had work on Friday. With a little planning everything would come together with time to spare to get ready, so I could look my best.

Braised Short Ribs with Potato and Parsnip Puree and Blanched French Beans

This dish is made in a crock pot and is super easy to prepare. I would definitely make this again! We enjoyed it very much and had left overs enough for a nice lunch.

STEP #1: Getting the short ribs ready

What you'll need -

• Beef Short Ribs (I purchased 2 packages, each containing 3 pieces or about 2.5 lbs)
• 1 bottle of dry red wine (cheaper the better)
• 1 small can of diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1/3 cup of chopped parsley
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Brown your meat:

Clean the short ribs, then pat them dry with paper towel. Get your frying pan nice and hot so that a drop of water sizzles. I use cast iron, personally, but any pan will do. I slightly coated the pan with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Then place the short ribs meaty side down. Mine were pretty much cubes of meat, so I

proceeded to brown all sides. This will enhance the flavor of the dish and make your meat extra pretty. Who doesn't want extra pretty meat for dinner ;)

Store in a sealed container until you're ready to use. I refrigerated my browned short ribs over night until I was ready to cook in the morning.

Step #2: Prepping your Crock Pot

I put all my ingredients except the browned meat in the crock pot overnight in the fridge, so it would be super fast to set up in the morning before work. So put everything including the onions, garlic, parsley, tomatoes and red wine in the pot, seal and place in the fridge. In the morning, take it out, set up your crock pot on low (if you're cooking it for more than 6 hours). Don't forget to put

your meat in there or you'll have nothing but stewed veggies. Not that I'm against eating just veggies.

Step #3: Making a Sauce from Your Sauce

What you'll have when your short ribs are cooked, and you'll know because the meat is so tender it almost falls off the bone (and probably will), is a lot of thin gravy. Much of it will be a bit oily because the meat is rather fatty. I strained some of the fat away and placed about 2 cups of the less oily gravy in a sauce pan. I used my potato masher to mush up the tomato and onions. I added some more wine while simmering the mixture. To thicken the mixture, you need to make a thin paste of flour and cold water, which I do in a glass and mix with a spoon until smooth. You're going to SLOWLY whisk in the flour mixture into the simmering gravy. If you go too fast it'll thicken too quickly and you'll be left with pudding rather than gravy. Make sure you're using a whisk that doesn't damage your pan. Metal on metal is fine or silicon on porcelain. Whisk the shit out of your gravy till its thick enough to hold its own against your mashed potatoes. I added some more salt, pepper and a bit of dried rosemary.

Step #4: Potato & Parsnip Time!

What you'll need:

• 5 or 6 large red potatoes (scrub, remove eyes and dark spots)
• 2 or 3 large parsnips (peeled)
• Butter (a few tablespoons depending on your taste)
• Half & Half (or low fat milk if you prefer)
• Salt

Bring salt water to a boil and let the potatoes and parsnip simmer until you can easily stick a fork into them. Drain the water, and use a potato riser to puree everything. A potato ricer is the best $10 purchase you'll make in your kitchen. I use mine ALL THE TIME. It makes the most deliciously creamy mashed potatoes. Yum!

The parsnips are really fibrous, so it might take a few tries to get them smooth. Discard the extra fibers that don't make it through the potato ricer. Add butter and the half/half while mixing. With some salt and pepper, this is ready to go.

Step #5: Don't forget the French Beans.

French beans are pretty much smaller green beans. They look and taste the same, just a little more crisper and smaller. I didn't want to taint their tastiness with anything else, so blanching is what I did. When you get water in a pot to a boil, place it on low heat and be sure to keep an eye on the beans. They'll be ready in 3 - 5 minutes, depending on how crisp you want them.

Now you're ready to plate and enjoy. Overall, the meal took me about 30 - 45 minutes of prep time and 30 - 45 minutes of cooking. It wasn't difficult at all, so even the most novice cook can conquer this impressive meal. It's hearty though, so be warned that you're in for some good eatin'