Comfort Food

Looking out the window, it is clear that fall is upon us.  The leaves are beginning to change quickly. I fear that the color season will be short because the summer was so hot and dry. And next week is the last of my farmers market.  I will have to make a trip to stock up on the fresh produce to use for next weeks table and perhaps to freeze.  This week I pulled out my crock pot for the first time and used my first can of pumpkin.  Here is what was on Marilyn's Table.

Coffee Braised Short Ribs with Cheesy Polenta
Tuscan Kale Caesar Slaw
Gingersnap Crumble Pumpkin Parfaits

I have never had much luck with short ribs, but this recipe sounded like it might be a winner.  My first suggestion is that you not purchase boneless short ribs.(I did because it was all they had)  There is not enough fat on them and cooking on the bone always makes for better flavor.  The ribs are sauteed in a skillet until brown, turning them on all sides.  Drain them on a paper towel lined plate. Add white wine and strong coffee to the skillet and simmer, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Put chopped onion and minced garlic in the bottom of a slow cooker.  Mix in salt, chili powder and oregano. Transfer the ribs to the  slow cooker and pour the wine/coffee mixture over.  Cook on high for about 3 1/2 hours.  Uncover and cook until ribs are falling off the bone.

I used instant polenta and followed the recipe on the container.  At the end of the cooking time I added grated Parmesan and stirred in until melted.  Serve the ribs and a bit of the onion sauce over the polenta. This is a rich dish so I decided to soften the richness with a simple salad.

The market had some excellent looking kale.  I cut it into thin strips to serve.  The dressing is lemon juice, anchovy paste, garlic, Dijon mustard and EVOO.  Shake it in a covered jar and add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle over the strips of kale and top with sliced hard boiled egg.  I particularly like the dressing and the leftover kale went into a pot of vegetable soup.

This dessert was the first of  a lot of pumpkin recipes in my 'in the wings' box in the kitchen.  The canned pumpkin (not pie filling) is mixed with brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and a dash of salt.  A quart of softened vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt is mixed in and chilled in the refrigerator.  Gingersnaps are crushed and stirred in a bowl with melted butter.  They harden nicely on the counter.  Parfait glasses are filled with the pumpkin mixture, topped with broken up gingersnap crumble and set in the freezer to set.  To serve, the gingersnap crumble is spooned over the top and whipped cream goes over the crumble.  I garnished with more of the crumble, but a sprinkle of pumpkin spice would be nice as well.

All in all it was an OK dinner.  The short ribs were a bit chewy, but the polenta and the sauce worked well with them.  The salad cut through the richness of the the entree.  The star was the parfait.  I have used pumpkin mixed with ice cream before as a pie filling, but this was a good choice.

I am thinking that next week will be Oktoberfest at the Table. Stop by and see what is served.  Have a good week and stay warm.