Wine and Molasses Braised Beef

So this is fantastic. I based it off of a recipe I foung on http://www.westerncampservices.com/chefs-corner/recipe/molasses-and-red-wine-braised-short-rib/ , however I tweaked it a little as I like to do things MY way!

Ingredients:

• 4 meaty beef short ribs, cut individually
• 3 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped/minced
• 2 shallots, finely chopped, minced
• 2 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup molasses
• fresh thyme, minced
• fresh rosemary, minced
• fresh parsley, minced
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• salt and pepper for seasoning

*for carrots and celery, I typically cut them into threes lengthwise, then dice them to get the smallest chop so they don't overwhelm each beefy bite.

 Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season short ribs with salt and pepper, and seer in olive oil in a large sauce pan. Once browned, set aside.

Sauté the mirepoix (carrot, onion and celery) on medium high heat in the same pot as the short ribs. Add extra olive oil if necessary.

Add tomato paste, anchovies, and herbs and let mixture brown.

Deglaze the pot with the wine and beef stock.

Add the molasses and simmer.

Throw the short ribs into the pot after a couple of minutes and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.

Transfer to a dutch oven or similar oven-friendly container that will allow the ribs to bee almost completely submerged.

Cook in the oven for 4-6 hours, occasionally stirring and pouring the jus over the exposed short ribs. Can be made 2 days in advance.

Strain the liquid and reduce by half.

Serve short ribs over polenta with reduced sauce.

Et voila!

H.

Pho Hung - China Town

I honestly felt ill after eating here.

I was feeling a little coldy so was looking for a hot and spicy soup, which logically brought Pho to mind. I asked a knowledgeable friend, and he suggested Pho Hung. 

I typically like to order whatever is a little more unusual on the menu so my Pho Choice was rare beef, tendon, and tripe. I should have been forewarned. 

Not only did the soup taste like old body parts, the sinewy texture of the tendon (or tripe - I frankly could not distinguish the two) absolutely was like chewing the eraser on a pencil. MMMM. 

The saving grace were the deep fried egg rolls which were actually quite delicious.

Ultimately, the formidable pho (see what I did there?) shrouded any salvageable degree of positivity. 

DO NOT EAT HERE unless what I described above is what you are into. Then, by all means - Bon Appetit!

Tacos El Asador - Koreatown

Though restaurants like La Carnita and Grand Electric are all the buzz in Toronto's Central American cuisine, Tacos El Asador offers an authentic and reasonably priced alternative to those hour-wait hot spots.

690 Bloor Street W - Koreatown

This El Salvadorian take on Mexican street food combines simple flavors in traditional classics like tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and other Mexican staples.

It was after 2pm on a Friday and the handful of picnic tables were at capacity so I sat at the bar (don't people work?). Quite frankly, I would recommend sitting around the counter as not only do you have a clear view into the kitchen, the conversation with the feisty El Salvadorian man adds a little extra spice to the meal.

I started off with a spicy salt rimmed Tecate garnished with several lime wedges. It was the ideal refreshment and complimented my meal perfectly.

Being the glutton that I am, I bit off a little more than I could chew when I ordered.

I got an order of ground beef soft tacos, and an absolutely mouth watering pulled pork and pineapple hard shell. The house hot sauce was the perfect combination of zest, sweetness, and spice and pretty much saturated all my food (not for lack of flavour on the food's part but for extreme yumminess on the sauce's part).

This was accompanied by a bowl of piping hot chicken noodle soup which had that wonderful homemade taste to it and a little cilantro giving it that "Mexican" flavour.

Then came out an order of avocado enchilada which was essentially a flat, hard shell taco with a layer of black bean paste (assuming it was refried, and I was assured nothing comes from a can!) and avocado, then topped off with lettuce, tomato and the other standard fixings. It was fantastic. I am salivating a little as I write this.

The ambiance was low-key, laid back, and was all-in-all quite pleasant. I'd definitely go back next time I have a little Mexican hankering. It was tasty and didn't break the bank which is always an added benefit!

I'd give it a B+ and look forward to trying the chorizo tacos, burrito, and sweet lord - QUESADILLAS.

h.

Sariwon Korean BBQ - North York

On a recent and rare journey to North York, I stumbled upon this gem of a place. At the suggestion of a friend of a friend who lives in the area, I was told there is no better Korean BBQ in the city than Sariwon.

Though it was nearly impossible to find, being part of one of North York's many sallow strip malls, the inside was warm and inviting.

We were greeted in broken English by the happiest man in the world and seated at a special BBQ table, equipped with an open-flame grill.

I have always been told that when it comes to Asian food, the more Asian faces in the place, the better. So by this (non-politically correct) rationale, in a restaurant packed to the brim and where my friend and I were the only white faces, it earned a Michelin Star.

We were immediately served a hot cup of twiggy tasting tea, which despite its unusual flavour, was soul-soothing and delicious. My friend's friend recommended two items on the menu, which is what we ultimately ordered.

We started off with the dumplings, as the waitress said our two orders of BBQ would NOT sate our big American hunger (well - not in so many words but...). They came out quickly and were nothing special.

The pièces de résistance were our two BBQ dishes:

KALBI - beef short rib with a light marinade.

SAAM-KYUP-SAL (loosely translated to lettuce-pork-layered) - pork belly (almost like bacon!).

The waitress came and threw the meat onto the grill, expertly changing the flame settings.

As we devoured the dumplings, a piping hot - scratch that - BOILING soup came out. It was literally bubbling when it got to the table.

We served the threatening soup and my friend let his cool a moment while I dug right in (my raw palette and tongue are proof of my impatience). 

Meanwhile, one of a slew of waitresses came to tend to our meat, flipping it methodically, treating us like tourists from a far away land. The service was exceptional, if not somewhat belittling, as the Asian occupied tables tended their own meat, unaided. 

Almost precisely when we finished our soup, the waitress came over with a pair of scissors, and began snipping away at the strips of meat, cutting them into bite-sized pieces. I will be honest in saying, I have never seen meat cut with scissors on a grill before, so it made for an interesting experience. 

When eating the meat, as described in the SAAM-KYUP-SAL, you take a head of lettuce and use it like a taco shell, stuffing it with this and that.

There was rice, pickled cabbage, marinated eggplant, sprouts, and what appeared to be candied baby prawns, though the man next to us (a Caucasian gentleman who walked in after us with two Korean ladies) was convinced it was scorpion...

The dumplings were definitely unnecessary, as we were barely able to finish the four slabs of meat provided. It was a feat of true perseverance that enabled us to eat the two last pork belly pieces.

To digest this exotic and extremely large meal, we were given a tiny cup of a sweet ginger and cinnamon brew served cold.

I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone venturing into the depths of the GTA, or any Korean BBQ aficionados. 

Stay tuned for a brunch segment this weekend...

h.

Welcome. One. All.

Pardon me for my insensitivity. I just love to eat. And no - most would not call me fat, though my appetite may be considered so. It is time to recount the many delicious rolls and jowls of my culinary experience in Toronto (as I am a Montreal native), and the many more mouth watering experiences to come. This is it for now, as the green veg wrap I had at the Sheridan Coffee Loft was unfortunately not worth posting about in any degree of grandeur.

H.