Getting back in to the whole cooking thing since it's almost officially the Fall in two days. Except it was about 30 C and sunny here today in Ontario. What the heck?! And what a better way to celebrate this Fall like weather (?) than by turning on the A/C and cooking up a lovely Fall dish in our Instant Pot: Beef brisket and mashed potatoes. I know. I realize it sounds crazy on so many levels. Not exactly typical Fall fare during a heat wave but we also wanted to properly send off our young lad (my step son Sean) with an amazing last meal...not his last amazing meal ever of course...just his last meal whilst living with us. He finished his Masters about a year ago and has been living with us off an on while he and his girlfriend sort out their brand new exciting life together. Tomorrow he heads West by train for new adventures in Vancouver. We couldn't be happier for him. Very well deserved. So tonight we make a rich and decadent...and slightly spicy... meal for him. I'm not always the best at expressing my feelings so I typically do it through cooking and food. Hence this meal. If I can fill your belly with warmth and food-goodness (my own word) then it's a wonderfully lovely thing. It means I think you're pretty cool. Yup, as I mentioned I am so great at expressing my feelings. How did I ever getting married? Twice! Hmmm. Perhaps there is a connection???
Any who, back on track, I made this particular dish before for my husband and I have to say it was rather too spicy for us. I made sure to use about half the amount of red pepper chili flakes this time around and maybe not fill the sriracha quite to the rim of the measuring cup. It seemed to make a huge difference in our ability to enjoy our dinner without hot flashes (getting to that age where it's not so funny anymore. Pay back for me making fun of my older sister I guess.)
I should also mention more about the book in which the recipe originates, "Dinner in an Instant" by Melissa Clark. Quite honestly mosts of the recipes are not what you would associate with Instant Pot recipes which are usually promoted as being quick (hence the "Instant" in the name) for a busy family during the middle of the week. This is not that. But that is ok. Sure there are a few recipes here that will fit that bill. But mostly what you will find are amazing recipes that are meant more for the weekends when you have some time to do some leisurely cooking, with a glass of wine in hand, maybe while you clean the house or read a good book. The mashed potato recipe is the only recipe that I will ever do from now on. Perfect EVERY SINGLE TIME (which is why I made it tonight.) As is the Chana Masala (one of my work lunch staples.) And the hummus recipe. And the Beef Barley Vegetable Soup. And there are plenty more that are in there that we haven't tried yet but want to. The pictures that accompany each recipe looks so delicious I could eat them. This is how you know you have a wonderful cookbook.
So between you and I, we are planning on sending my step son and his lovely girlfriend a housewarming gift for their new digs: An Instant Pot and this cookbook. Hopefully they will get as much enjoyment out of both as we have. Nothing says love like a belly full of a warm and wonderful home cooked meal.
Wishing them lots of love, joy, success, happiness, humour (she will need it), and amazing food.
xoxox the Chef and Sous Chef of Bistro 164
Korean Chile-Braised Brisket
from Melissa Clark's "Dinner In An Instant" Cookbook
Time: 1 hour (at least) for marinating plus 2 1/2 hrs for cooking meat and preparing the sauce
Yields 8 servings
Skill level: Super Duper Easy
Taste: Super Duper Delicious with lots of heat
Ingredients
4 to 5 lbs of beef brisket (1.8 -2.2 kg for those of us thinking in metric), cut into 3 or 4 pieces
1 tbsp dried red chile flakes aka red pepper flakes (or use less if you are timid about the heat like I am)
1 tbsp sweet paprika
2 1/2 tsps kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1-3 tbsps peanut or safflower oil
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp grated peeled fresh ginger (I used some ginger paste that I had)
1 cup lager-style beer
1/4 cup Sriracha (We used less...our palates are pretty WASPY)
2 tbsps ketchup
2 tbsps soy sauce
2 tbsps light or dark brown sugar
2 tsps Asian fish sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Directions
Combine the red chile flakes, the sweet paprika and the salt in a bowl and mix. Rub the beef with the mixture and cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours if you are better at planning meals than we are.
Set the Instant Pot to saute and add in a tbsp of the oil. Let it heat up for a couple of seconds and then add in the beef in batches. Sear the beef on all sides, about 2 minutes per side, until it's nice and browned. Add in more oil as necessary.
Add in the diced onion and saute for 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for another minute. Add in the beer, the Sriracha, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, fish sauce, and sesame oil.
Cover and cook on high pressure for 90 minutes. Release the pressure naturally for 20 minutes and then manually release the pressure.
Transfer the beef to a plate and tent with foil. Set the pressure cooker to saute and simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes. The sauce should reduce by half to two-thirds. Serve the sauce alongside the beef. Serve with Korean kimchi, mashed potatoes, maybe some nice bread (nice bread goes with any meal I believe.)
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