Yesterday's dinner was going to be stewed short ribs with tomatoes and onions over pasta or rosemary matzoh balls, I hadn't decided which. I also had a head of escarole that was beckoning from the salad bowl area, and some leftover blanched asparagus from the day before that could be re-used as a side dish. Ditto some carrots I'd had around a little too long. Also, I had a fresh loaf of olive bread. All possibilities, but nothing quite gelled until I got to thinking about those Fried Eggs in Breadcrumbs, and then I found myself wondering what would Judy Rodgers do with my ingredients. The answer came to me as I trimmed the meat: she'd brown and simmer the ribs for about an hour and a half, smear them with mustard, roll them in breadcrumbs and roast them to finish. The carrots could be tossed in EVOO and roasted in the same pan. The asparagus would be added at the last minute and just warmed through, seasoned by the meat juices in the pan, and an escarole salad would start things off with a basket of that olive bread and bottle of Cotes du Rhone.
I could picture it on the plate, and I liked what I saw.
Ah, but once she got hold of my brain, Judy didn't let go and demanded a last minute change: the escarole and the asparagus must change places! The escarole, which I had already sprinkled oil, vinegar and salt on in the salad bowl, was going to go onto the roasted meat and carrots to lightly wilt and sweeten and the whole pot would go to the table, and the asparagus would be a chilled starter, just cut and served with a quick garlic aoili on the side. And thus my meal went from merely very good to absolutely great: aromatic and colorful, rustic yet sophisticated. A dish I was proud to serve and will absolutely make again.
Here's a slightly out-of-focus picture of the finished main dish:
And here's the recipe (total prep time, about 2 and half hours):
olive oil
2-3 lbs short ribs, well-trimmed
1/2 a white or yellow onion, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt and two cups of water or 2 cups salted beef stock
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
About 3/4 cup panko
1 tsp herbs de Provence
3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 head escarole
salt, white wine vinegar, olive oil
Brown the short ribs in a little olive oil then turn meat side down and cover with the broth, onions and bay leaves. Simmer lightly, covered, for about an hour and a half, then remove ribs and allow to cool. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread top surface of the ribs liberally with mustard then press into the bread crumbs. Place ribs bone-down in a shallow roasting pan, toss the carrots with a little EVOO and sprinkle them among the ribs. Roast for about 30 minutes, until the panko crust turns golden.
In the meantime wash and tear the escarole leaves. Sprinkle with about one teaspoon each of white wine vinegar and olive oil, then toss with salt. When the roasted ribs come out of the oven, sprinkle the salad around the edges of the pan and serve.