happy valentine's day kids!

so... tom cruise, of jump the couch infamy, and katie holmes have allegedly bitten the dust.

she remembered which louis vuitton or kooba bag she stashed her brain in, i say.


anyhoo, i sit here @ 3:14 pm with lunch for my husband's entire office in the oven. well, the entire office minus the owner, who had back surgery last week. asian-style braised short ribs (recipe to follow), jasmine rice, and assorted asian-style veggies in a soy sauce-based glaze.

i have to do the short ribs in shifts.

here's the recipe:

5 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 4-ounce portions
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
6+ cloves garlic, peeled and smashed (i usually put in about 9)
1 (5-inch) stalk lemongrass, halved and smashed (be careful and use a very sharp knife)
1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 quart water
1/2 cup sliced green onion bottoms, white part only
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup fresh blood orange juice
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated blood orange zest, for serving (you DO have a microplane, no?)
sliced green onion tops, optional for garnish

preheat the oven to 350°. in a wide stockpot or dutch oven, combine the short ribs, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, brown sugar, water, green onion bottoms, crushed red pepper, and ¼ c of the orange juice. make sure that the stockpot is deep enough so that the short ribs are submerged in the liquid. bake the short ribs, covered, for about 3 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling off the bones.

remove the short ribs from the braising liquid and cover to keep warm. increase the oven temperature to 425°. drain the fat off of the cooking liquid and discard. place the remaining braising juices in a medium saucepan with ¼ cup of the hoisin sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. reduce the liquid until only about 1¼ cups remain. strain through a fine-meshed strainer, discarding the solids.

stir in the remaining 2 T of orange juice and the lemon juice. return the short ribs and the reduced sauce to the stockpot or dutch oven, coating the short ribs well with the sauce. bake for 15 minutes, until the short ribs are heated through and slightly glazed.

serve hot over jasmine rice. season each portion with the orange zest and garnish with the green onions if desired.



and remember... guns don't shoot people... vice presidents shoot people!