Recipe: Short ribs a la café at Adele’s

This week's recipe is excerpted from "Recipes and Rambles that made Adele's a Nevada hot spot: 40 years of history as told by Chef Charlie Abowd."

This book not only encapsulates Nevada's political and music history, but also tells mine and Karen's story as well as that of my folks, Paul and Adele, and contains numerous recipes. The goal of this project is to ultimately raise money for The Greenhouse Project's sustainability.

To that end, every dollar made after the cost of writing the book is covered will go to TGP. This was the goal from the outset. TGP was spearheaded by my dear wife, Karen, and through the support of contractors, benefactors and community, is now a state-of-the-art growing facility known as Green Central, located on Carson High School's campus.

Today, more than 200 students learn not only how to farm but can take agribusiness and other related courses. The site also features a Native Plant Nursery and Composting Facility that provide additional funding streams.

Further, TGP manages the Foothill Garden and Serenity Garden on the Carson Tahoe Medical campus. Produce grown at both sites is distributed to community outreach programs that pass the produce onto those who experience food insecurity.

"Recipes and Rambles" is available locally at Purple Avocado and Nevada Store, or you can find me at various venues during signings. The book is also available from the usual online retailers.

Now let's get cooking. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Short ribs a la café at Adele’s is suitable for special events or a simple evening at home, as you can never go wrong with ribs. Besides being delicious, once prep is done, you are free to enjoy the day while dinner slowly cooks in the oven, which is one of the reasons I love this recipe for family gatherings. I can be busy making memories, rather than being stuck in the kitchen. This recipe can also be easily multiplied to accommodate more servings.

Ingredients

8 whole, thick-cut meaty short ribs

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose organic flour

6 pieces thick-sliced bacon

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup sweet yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup carrots, diced

1 cup celery, chopped

3 russet potatoes peeled and cut into one-inch cubes

8 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

8 cloves of garlic, whole

1/4 cup scallions or green onion, finely chopped and set aside for garnish

2 cups red wine; a hearty cabernet works well

1 cup beef bone broth

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Directions

Place flour, along with half the salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme into a bowl and combine. Cut the short ribs along the bone, so that each is approximately 2x2 inches. Once that is done, place ‘riblets’ in flour mixture, dredging until completely covered. Chop bacon into 1/2-inch squares and cook in a frying pan until almost crispy. This will render the bacon fat.

While the bacon is cooking, it is time to start cooking the other ingredients. In a Dutch oven, place 1 tablespoon canola oil, onion, garlic, celery and carrots, and cook slowly over medium heat until vegetables appear translucent. Add bacon, reserving bacon fat in the frying pan.

Add 2 tablespoons of the leftover flour and herb mixture to the vegetables to make a rue. Now add the wine, pouring slowly over the vegetables and bacon; add the broth and allow to cook 20 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.

Returning to the frying pan, sear and braise the riblets on all four sides until dark brown. Once done, place carefully in Dutch oven and ladle a little bit of the broth into the frying pan to deglaze. Once deglazing is complete, ladle back into Dutch oven, and cover with the lid. Place in preheated, 350 degrees oven for 3 hours.

Make sure the ribs are covered by liquid. You may have to add a little more wine, which is never bad. One hour into baking, remove Dutch oven from the oven and add potato cubes. Return to oven and finish baking the additional two hours.

Once done, pull out of the oven and carefully arrange short ribs on a serving platter, ladling sauce over the tops. Garnish with scallions or green onion. This is nicely paired with a beautiful green salad and a craft beer.

Charlie Abowd is a fourth generation “cooker” who now spends his time traveling and cooking for the joy of it.