short ribs Archives - Taste With The Eyes

The Magic of Galbi & The Korean Friendship Bell

Galbi 갈비
Grilled Flanken-Style Beef Short Ribs in a Korean Marinade
Lettuce, Perilla, Pickled Cucumber, Scallion, Ssamjang, Sesame Seed Garnish

The magic of Galbi 갈비 is in the marinade. Asian pear tenderizes the meat and adds a hint of sweetness. Pear – combined with garlic, onion, and ginger, plus soy sauce, mirin, honey and sesame oil result in a full Korean flavor explosion.

This entire marinade is made in a food processor, it couldn’t be easier. The ribs are rinsed, coated, then left to marinate for eight hours.

Hours of marinating result in the tender yet chewy texture. Grilling imparts a wonderful smoky note to the already complex flavors of the marinated meat while the honey and sugar caramelize into a slightly sweet glaze – making this an absolutely irresistible barbecue dish.

Galbi, ssamjang (spicy seasoned soybean paste), sliced scallion,
pickled cucumber, perilla, and iceberg lettuce.

Use a knife and fork or wrap all the ingredients in a lettuce leaf for one delicious bite.

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Galbi Jim – Korean Braised Short Rib Stew

Galbi Jim 갈비찜
Korean Braised Beef Short Rib Stew
with Shiitake, Chestnut, Dried Jujube, Ginkgo Nut, Daikon, and Asian Pear

Inspired by the Chefs and traditional ingredients at last week’s Top Chef Korean Food Challenge in San Diego, Galbi Jim was the first of many Korean dishes I’ve prepared since arriving back home. It was my pleasure and honor to be invited to the event as one of six food blogger judges. There, I discovered a new love, Hansik (Korean food)!

Shiitake, chestnut, dried jujube (red date), ginkgo nut, and daikon are just some of the exotic ingredients that flavor this intoxicating stew. Beef short ribs are marinated in a mixture of grated Asian pear, with soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic, and sesame. The meat is braised over low heat with the vegetables and fruit and the sweet/savory broth is reduced into a rich complex sauce…

Continue reading “Galbi Jim – Korean Braised Short Rib Stew”

A Borscht Like Nana’s

My Nana (paternal grandmother) was born in Kiev, Russia in 1894. In the 1960’s Nana and Papa lived a few miles from our house in Chicago. I remember coming home from school in the winter to kitchen windows that were all steamed up. Nana was at our house and she was making soup! I vividly remember Nana’s borscht. It tasted sweet, and sour, and it had lots of meat, short ribs to be exact.

Cookbook author Barbara Kafka has a recipe in her fabulous book, SOUP: A Way of Life, that reminds me of that borscht. She says she made it for her father who was from Slutzk, a shtetl (small town with a large Jewish population) near Minsk. Barbara’s Red Russian Soup tastes quite similar to how I remember my Nana’s soup.

My mother sometimes took notes while watching her mother-in-law cook, and that is how we were able recreate her delicious Meat Soup. Unfortunately, we have no recipe of my Nana’s borscht so I am grateful to Barbara for her excellent recipe and the inspiration for me to make A Borscht Like Nana’s.

To make this wonderful soup, you can follow the directions in my previous post, BEET SOUP WITH TRUFFLE OIL (link at the bottom of this post) but do not purée. Additionally, simmer 3 lbs. beef short ribs in water until butter tender, 2+ hours. Trim the fat and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Add the de-fatted meat broth and meat to the beet soup. Simmer. Serve over a cubed boiled potato. Top the meaty borscht with a dollop of sour cream (if OK to serve milk with meat).

Meat Soup and The New Year

I love the new year. It’s an exciting time, a time for reflection, a time to make improvements for a better future. Many bloggers have been posting terrific compilations of their Best of 2008. I was reflecting on Taste With The Eyes, how much I have enjoyed writing, learning more about photography and cooking and blogging, making friends and enjoying blogs from around the world. How neat this is, how incredibly neat.

Thinking back over the year of my posts, I think Meat Soup is my favorite. Why? Because it arose from a conversation with my mother about old recipes. Because she shared a recipe from my Nana that I had not remembered. Because we talked about my Father, my Nana, and my Papa who all passed away years ago. Because as a result of our conversation, I was able to share a snippet of our family history on my blog. And, last but not least, because it is a darn good soup! I will definitely be making it in 2009. Beef short ribs have become one of my favorite ingredients. Farewell to 2008, and here is Meat Soup one more time:

What’s in a name?

The other day I was asking my mother, Joyce, about recipes from the past.

Ma: Your Nana (my paternal grandmother) made excellent soups.

Me: Like what? I remember her chicken soup and borscht…what else?

Ma: Oh, I liked her meat soup.

Me: Meat Soup?

Ma: It’s like chicken soup but with meat. I think I still have the recipe…

My Nana was born in Kiev, Russia 1894. The family fled to Canada to escape the pogroms when she was a young girl. Her name was Vitte but she took her sister’s name, Fanny, after Fanny was killed in a machine accident. She met my Papa (paternal grandfather) when they were teenagers and their families were living in the same apartment complex in Montreal. His name was Yitzcok when he was born in Romania 1891 but changed it to Isadore upon arrival in Canada when he was 13 years old. He celebrated his Bar Mitzvah on the boat. Fanny and Isadore married then made their way to America and settled in Chicago where Papa took on the name, Irving, and they raised their children, Edythe and Leonard (my father).

I remember one day when we were kids, my Dad asked us if we knew Papa’s real name. I thought about it and said “Is” because that’s what Nana called him. Then I fell into a fit of giggles, “What kind of name is Is, Dad? That’s a verb!”

My nephews are Stone Leonard, his middle name in memory of our father, and Jett Izzy‘s middle name is in honor of our Papa – Is, or Izzy.

Meat Soup

3 1/2 lbs. short ribs

4 carrots

2 onions

2 parsnips

3 celery stalks

1 parsley root

1 c. dried large lima beans

Egg noodles

These are the ingredients my Mother has listed on her old recipe index card from notes she took years ago while watching her mother-in-law make meat soup.

Here is how I made my Nana’s soup:

Put short ribs in a soup pot full of water, heat on high until the water boils, then turn down the heat to a simmer. Skim off the scum and fat constantly. After 1 1/2 hours add rough chopped vegetables and beans. (I couldn’t find parsley root so I used a bunch of parsley). Simmer another hour or so, until the beans are cooked and the meat is butter-tender and falling off the bone. Season with salt and pepper. (I also added some beef base). To serve, put cooked egg noodles in a bowl and ladle soup on top.

Meat soup. What’s in a name? Indeed.

Oh, and I forgot to mention back in September that I was named after Papa’s oldest brother, Louie.

Happy. New. Year.

Lori Lynn

P.S. Food bloggers and non-food bloggers alike, do you have a favorite post of yours from 2008? If so, please leave a comment, we would love to (re)visit it.

Meat Soup

What’s in a name?

The other day I was asking my Mother about recipes from the past.

Ma: Your Nana (my paternal grandmother) made excellent soups.

Me: Like what? I remember her chicken soup and borscht…what else?

Ma: Oh, I liked her meat soup.

Me: Meat Soup?

Ma: It’s like chicken soup but with meat. I think I still have the recipe…

My Nana was born in Kiev, Russia 1894. The family fled to Canada when she was a young girl. Her name was Vitte but she took her sister’s name, Fanny, after Fanny was killed in a machine accident. She met my Papa (paternal grandfather) when they were teenagers and their families were living in the same apartment complex in Montreal. His name was Yitzcok when he was born in Romania 1891 but changed it to Isadore upon arrival in Canada when he was 13 years old. He celebrated his Bar Mitzvah on the boat. Fanny and Isadore married then made their way to America and settled in Chicago where Papa took on the name, Irving, and they raised their children, Edythe and Leonard (my father).

I remember one day when we were kids, my Dad asked us if we knew Papa’s real name. I thought about it and said “Is” because that’s what Nana called him. Then I fell into a fit of giggles. What kind of name is Is, Dad? That’s a verb!

My nephews are Stone Leonard, his middle name in memory of our father, and Jett Izzy’s middle name is in honor of our Papa – Is, or Izzy.

Meat Soup

3 1/2 lbs. short ribs

4 carrots

2 onions

2 parsnips

3 celery stalks

1 parsley root

1 c. dried large lima beans

Egg noodles

These are the ingredients my Mother has listed on her old recipe index card from notes she took years ago while watching her mother-in-law make meat soup.

Here is how I made my Nana’s soup:

Meat soup. What’s in a name? Indeed.