“The WHAT season?  What was that you said?”

Braising.  Simply put, the perfect cooking antidote for cold wintry nights, bound to warm the body and soul.  Or, if you are looking for a real definition:  Braising is a cooking technique in which the main ingredient is seared, or browned in fat, and then simmered in liquid on low heat in a covered pot.  Also known as “pot-roasting,” this is an essential technique for yielding succulent, tender results from otherwise tough cuts of meat.   By slowly simmering the meat in liquid (often wine or stock), the connective tissue found in more economical cuts of meat (parts of the animal that were well exercised) breaks down and melts into the fabulously flavorful cooking liquid which in turn helps to tenderize the muscle fibers.  The cuts of meat that benefit the most from this cooking method include: brisket, shanks, kolichel and short ribs; however, chicken (bone-in), firm-fleshed fish and vegetables can also benefit from this method with mouth-watering results. 

Beyond the amazing aroma that will fill your home when braising (and jealous neighbors wishing they were eating at your house for dinner!), there’s also some practical benefits to mention.  First of all, one-pot cooking means less clean-up.  Braising is also pretty much hands-off once the meat has been seared and the cooking has commenced.  This means your dinner can be prepared hours in advance and your hands are free to do other things while it cooks away.  

Braising can be done stove-top or in the oven.  I favor a combination of the two – browning the meat stove-top to start, then transferring to the oven for the majority cooking time.  With this approach, a pot that is both stove and oven friendly is particularly helpful – a Dutch oven or LeCrueset type of covered enameled pot/casserole will be great for this.

Comforting and homey, a pot roast will satisfy on the coldest winter night, transporting you back to your grandmother’s kitchen.  In recent years though, some braises have taken the front and center at high-end restaurants.   Here is my take on Braised Short Ribs – perfect for an intimate dinner or a crowd, this rich dish can be prepared in advance if desired.

Braised Short Ribs with Port and Pomegranate Sauce

Serve over a bed of mashed potatoes or parsnips.

Serves 4-6.

2 tbsp. olive oil

4- 4½ pounds beef short ribs

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

8 garlic cloves, minced

¾ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ cups dry red wine (Cabernet or Merlot)

2/3 cup Port

1½ cups (12 oz.) crushed tomatoes 

1 cup low-sodium chicken or beef stock

5 tbsp. pomegranate molasses

1 tbsp. honey (or more to taste)

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp. minced parsley or more for garnishing

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Heat oil in a heavy, large, oven-safe pot or casserole dish, over high heat.  Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper.  Working in batches, brown ribs, turning occasionally, about 3 minutes per side.  Transfer to plate and set aside.  Lower heat to medium-high.  Add carrots, onion, and celery to the pot.  Season with ¾ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. black pepper.  Sauté for about 5-8 minutes, or until vegetables become tender, stirring occasionally.   Add garlic, stir to blend, and cook for another 3 minutes.  Add red wine, and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add Port, tomatoes, broth, pomegranate molasses, honey and bay leaf, and stir to blend.  Bring back to a boil, and simmer for about 6-8 minutes and until mixture is slightly thickened.  Return ribs to the pot, and boil for about 5 minutes.  Cover and transfer to oven.  Bake until meat almost falls off bone, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours.

Skim off excess fat from surface if necessary.  Using tongs, transfer ribs to a large bowl.  Return pot to stove over low heat.  Season to taste, adding more salt, pepper or honey if necessary.  Add minced parsley and simmer cooking liquid until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and top ribs with sauce.  Sprinkle more minced parsley to garnish, if desired.

Naomi Ross and the Park East Kosher Family
By Naomi Ross

We have all been traumatized by badly fried food: the oil is oozing, the crust is soggy.  It’s an unappetizing mess and downright bad for you.  If done correctly, however, frying is not as unhealthy as one might think.   In fact, a good fry does not actually cause the food to absorb that much oil at all.  Because I hear you squirming in your seat, let’s start off slow and talk about pan-frying (I’ll leave deep-frying for another time!). 

When pan-frying, the food is semi-submerged in hot oil in a pan on the stove top and flipped halfway through cooking. Foods that benefit from this method would include naturally tender cuts of poultry or veal, delicate fish fillets, and vegetables. 

Free yourself of your frying fears!  Follow these tips for perfectly crisp-on-the-outside, moist and tender on-the-inside results that cook lightning fast!  

• Choose your cooking oil carefully. You want one with a high ‘smoke point’: in other words, one which won’t break down at high frying temperatures. Peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil and canola oil are some good choices (olive oil is not because it has a low burning point).
• Choose a deep, heavy pan for frying.  Leaving a headspace (space at the top of the pan) of at least one to two inches allows for a safety margin when the oil bubbles up as the food is added.  A good heavy pan with a thick bottom will also conduct heat better, saving you from unevenly cooked, burnt food.
• Make sure that the food you are going to fry is dry.  Oil and water do not mix, especially at such high temperatures and burns from splattering oil are not fun.
• The best temperature for frying is 350-375 degrees F.  When deep-frying, the best way to make sure you’ve got it right is with a fry thermometer; but with pan-frying, the shallow depth of oil in the pan may preclude this.  You can tell that oil is ready when a 1″ cube of white bread dropped into the oil sizzles upon contact and browns in 60 seconds. 
• The food should be less than an inch thick (thin cutlets work best).  If too thick, the surface of the food will burn before the center is cooked.  The oil should be no more than half as high as the food so that the same area is not fried twice when you flip it.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan! Carefully add the food, leaving lots of space around each piece so the food will cook evenly. If you add too much food at once, the oil temperature will drop and the food will absorb fat.
• Watch the food carefully as it cooks, regulating the heat if necessary to keep the oil temperature steady. When the food is evenly golden-browned on both sides, it’s done. Remove it with a slotted spoon with a long handle. Drop it onto paper towels in a single layer to drain.
• Don’t reuse the cooking oil after it cools. Some sources say you can strain it and reuse it, but the oil has already begun to break down from the heat, and undesirable compounds have formed. Let the oil cool completely, and then discard safely.  I pour it in a jar and throw it in the garbage.  Don’t pour it down the drain!

 The following recipe is a very flavorful, Indian twist on classic fried chicken cutlets.   Eaten hot and right out of the pan, there is nothing like it…and your kids will ask for more!

MURGI CHICKEN

This recipe can easily be doubled.  Cut chicken into smaller strips and make the best chicken fingers ever!

1 medium onion, quartered

2 tsp. chopped fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves

½ tsp. ground turmeric

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cutlets)

¼ cup flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup cornflake crumbs

peanut or corn oil

1)  Process the onion, ginger, garlic, and spices in a food processor until pureed.

2)  Tenderize chicken breasts until they have an even thin thickness.

3)  Marinate chicken breasts in the onion mixture for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.

4)  Prepare 3 bowls – one with flour, one with beaten eggs, and one with cornflake crumbs. 

5) Dip the chicken in flour, then egg and then Cornflake crumbs. Place on a plate until frying time.

6)  Heat oil in a large skillet until very hot (drop of water sizzles upon contact).

7)  Fry cutlets on both sides, about 5 minutes per side or until breading is golden brown.

8)  Transfer to paper towels or brown paper to drain.  Serve hot and enjoy!

Serves 4.
By Naomi Ross

Bison meat (also known as buffalo meat) is one of the healthiest and best tasting meats you could ever eat. Buffalos are usually grass-fed and grow healthy, so you can enjoy the taste of kosher bison meat. Their meat is very tender and delicious, if cooked properly. Bison meat is becoming more and more popular nowadays. Some luxurious restaurants offer bison meat foods in their menus.

Bison meat is very nutritious (actually kosher bison meat is the most nutritious meat that you could ever find!). Because of its nutritious value the kosher bison meat is strongly recommended by many food and medical experts. The taste of bison meat is similar to the taste of high class beef meat. But at the same time, you will find that the taste of bison meat is a lot more tender and sweet.

Kosher bison meat contains a lot more minerals and proteins that other meats (relatively to the value of its calories). At the same time, the level of cholesterol, fat and calories in kosher bison meat is much lower than in any other meat. Bison meat is also considered healthier for eating than other meats due to its higher content of fatty acids and iron.

Kosher bison meat nutrition facts (accounted for 100g of cooked meat):

                             Kosher Bison Meat           Beef         Pork        Chicken

Fat contents:                 2.42g                           9.28g         9.66g      7.41g

Calories:                      148Kcal                         211Kcal    212Kal    190Kcal

Cholesterol content:     82mg                        86mg        86mg         89mg

As you can see from the table above, kosher bison meat is perfectly suitable for people, who are on low calorie, low-fat or low cholesterol diet. The taste of bison meat is fresh and exclusive, and it can also be used for different dishes and in different forms. Kosher bison meat is very easy to prepare. Kosher buffalo meat can be easily used in any dish, which contains meat, in order to substitute beef or chicken. And you can be absolutely sure that it will not only make your meal healthier, but will improve its taste as well.

Kosher bison meat is very easy to prepare and you do not need to be a specialist to make it taste good. You can cook kosher bison meat just like you usually cook beef, as just like beef, this meat tastes better, when cooked rare or medium. Try to cook the meat so that all the meat juices stay inside.

Check out offerings of kosher bison meat to taste the tender and delicious meat and eat healthier today!