Tis the Season to Be Searing Your Holiday Meat Dish

Pace Webb

Braised Short Ribs
serves 6

Ingredients:

3 lbs. short ribs
1 (750 mL) Bottle red wine
2 Onions, large dice
3 Carrots, large dice
6 Ribs celery, large dice
5 Sprigs thyme
5 Sprigs parsley
2 Bay leaves
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Liberally season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet on high. When pan is hot enough add the vegetable oil and brown meat on all sides. Transfer to a casserole dish and set aside. Sauté mirepoix (the French word for the classic combination of 50% onions, 30% celery, 20% carrots) in the remaining fat until lightly browned. Deglaze pan with some of red wine (just enough to remove the fat bits from the pan) and add the mixture to the meat in the casserole dish.

Cover the dish with a tight lid or aluminum foil. Braise in oven for about 6 hours or until fork tender, but still attached to the bone. Discard all aromatics and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. Braised meats love to be served over purees.

Arctic Char with Citrus Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 -6oz Filets of arctic char, skin on
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Citrus Sauce:

1 Teaspoon lemon juice
1 Small grapefruit, segments
1 Tablespoon grapefruit juice
1 Small orange (preferably Cara Cara), segments
1 Tablespoon orange juice
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of white pepper
Salt to taste

Method:

First segment the orange and grapefruit by cutting off the top and bottom. Set the fruit on the bottom and cut off skin from top to bottom following the curve of the fruit. Cut out each segment, leaving the membrane in tact, catching the juice in a bowl. Set the segments aside in a separate bowl. Add lemon juice, salt, and white pepper to the orange and grapefruit juice, then whisk in olive oil to emulsify. Add segments to the mixture and set aside.

Heat a medium skillet on medium-high, once the pan is hot add in the vegetable oil. Salt your filet and then add it to the pan. A medium fat fish, like arctic char, takes 10 minutes per inch to cook. Cook skin side down first. Visually measure the thickness of the fish to determine the approximate cooking time for each side. A great indicator that the fish is ready to be flipped is when it is no longer sticking to the pan. Remove fish from pan and place on a plate, drizzle with sauce and garnish with fruit segments.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 Pork tenderloin, approximately 3 lbs
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons of currants
½ Cup cavolo nero kale, roughly chopped
1/3 Cup bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Twine for tying tenderloin
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butterfly the tenderloin open lengthwise, cover with plastic wrap, and flatten with a meat tenderizer. Bring a skillet to medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil and sauté cavolo nero for about 5 minutes. Turn down heat and add currants, taking caution not to brown them. Taste to make sure cavolo nero is cooked through and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set mixture aside.

Place the cavolo mixture on top of the meat. Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly on top of the greens. Roll up the tenderloin, being sure to tuck the greens inside. Secure the meat with twine so that the stuffing does not fall out. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Bring the skillet to high heat. Once the pan is hot, add vegetable oil and brown the tenderloin on all sides. To finish cooking, place in the oven in the same pan or on a fresh baking sheet.

Allow pork to rest for at least 10 minutes so that the juices are redistributed. Remove twine and slice tenderloin into medallions and serve!