January Dos and Donts!

January Dos and Donts!

Somehow, I seemed to come come out of this years' holiday shuffle a few pounds lighter. I'm truly unsure of how it happened. I probably cooked as much throughout December as I normally do (i.e. most of the time). The one consistent dietary inclusion this holiday season was my broth. Don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of my Nourish Yourself Bone Broth year round. It's always in my fridge and I use it in a thousand ways across my kitchen. 

Once the cold weather comes round, and the tree and decorations go up, out come the broth infused sauces, gravy and stew dishes, made better by the inclusion of our broth.

Most holidays this time of year mean trotting out classic dishes with a chefs twist, upgrade here, healthy twist there. Each year some small variations occur. Just never, ever replace the turkey with another protein! The mere suggestion is enough to make my father positively mutinous. He's a stickler for a turkey dinner. 

Another family member often claims that “West Coast Turkey (aka Salmon) is a completely viable replacement, and emphasizes this is true because my brother is a Pescatarian (eats fish and vegetables). While i love salmon, and make it for my brother in some guise or another at Christmas, it won't ever likely replace the full turkey spread. If you are still waiting on your meal, we still have limited quantities of our Calvados Turkey Gravy and Single Malt Cranberry Sauce which can be enjoyed year round!

Family time. It's so important. At times it can drive you crazy, or be wonderful (or a little of both). This year was one of those visits. Now that we have moved to the Sunshine Coast, it's a longer trek for the family to come out. But with a place for them to sleep it works out, and they can come for a few days and we get quality time together. 

Since the holidays finished I have have made a concerted effort to have more bone broth in the fridge, at all times. Between my son Daniel, and my partner Jo (Joanne, but she prefers Jo), we get through several packs a week. We use it at lunchtimes as a meal replacement, or to finish off a mini fast (16 to 18 hours). Also we use it in mashed potatoes, to replace water when making rice, in a myriad of sauces or in stews. I just made braised grass fed beef short ribs (recipe below) with our Bradner farms grass feed organic meat, and my Nourish Yourself beef bone broth. 

Here we are more than halfway through January, and my goal is to lose 20lbs and be jogging again by springtime. My knees are weak through years of soccer (football to the more educated among us), and athletics training. I used to jog up hills on one leg, and back down on the other. Sufficed to say this training wouldn't pass muster anymore. In fact it would likely be an example of how to wreck your knees in a few years). But ultimately I'm working on bringing them back to life again through drinking (at least a) couple litres of broth a week, combined with soups made using the broth, and a ton of steamed nutritious vegetables and grass fed, and pastured meats. I can feel myself craving and needing the broth as we speak. Drinking a mug, even cold, i feel it filling me up and it just starts to take over inside. I can literally feel it doing good. I love it.

I remember when I first started making it. We had a lovely young man called James, who worked with me in the kitchen. We had an ambitious plan to put out a high end menu in monthly take out dinner dishes. Restaurant quality meals and half the price. In the end we spent too much money on quality ingredients because the ready meal concept hadn't quite taken off. With UberEats and all the other meal delivery platforms I'm sure it would have been an instant hit now.

James and I agreed on our recipes. He had been to the CSNN (Canadian School of Natural Nutrition), qualified as an RHN (Registered Holistic Nutritionist) and we looked at nutrition and balance of flavours. After a tweak here and there we had our first three recipes. Sadly we lost James to an island move and marriage. I was very sad as he had spent considerable time learning under Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons where I used to live in Oxford, and brought a lot of experience and skills with him), so the fourth recipe for our Vegan Defender broth - I had to work on by myself at first. But later got to tweak it again with another CSNN alumni. It shall be the mainstay of my diet for the remainder of this month and next. By February 28th, I will let you know where things stand, and if I was able to lose the "large turkey" I feel gets me back to running weight.

Finally after all that history on our broths, lets put it to use with a decent recipe. This is not your average braised rib recipe. Try it. Thank me later.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Reduce Red Wine: Reduce 3 bottles into one.
  2. Prep & Sear Ribs: Pat ribs dry, season generously, dredge lightly in flour, and brown well in a hot Dutch oven or heavy pot on all sides; remove and set aside.
  3. Sauté Aromatics: Add onions, carrots, and garlic to the pot and cook until softened and golden; stir in tomato paste and cook for a minute.
  4. Deglaze: Pour in red wine, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom; simmer for a few minutes to reduce slightly.
  5. Braise: Return ribs to the pot, add enough beef broth to nearly cover, add herbs, cover tightly (with a cartouche if desired), and place in a preheated oven at  275-325°F for 2.5 to 4 hours, or on pressure cooker mode on an Instapot for 45 minutes. Let it cool down and release the pressure until its ready to open.
  6. Rest & Finish Sauce: Let ribs rest in the liquid; strain the braising liquid, skim fat, and reduce it on the stovetop to a syrupy consistency; finish with a little butter, a splash of red wine vinegar, and a teaspoon of our beer mustard for extra depth.
  7. Serve: Spoon over creamy celeriac and potato mash and top with the reduced sauce. Serve. The meat will literally fall apart. You don't even need a knife.

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