The Coziest Beef Stew Short Rub Ragu
Plus Gingerbread Puppy Chow and a Citrus Galette
Hi Friends!
We are in full holiday mode over at our house. We are a Christmukkah family, so we’ve got the Christmas tree up and the Menorah ready to go!
But in this week’s edition of A Snack, a Dinner, and Dessert I want to talk about a different holiday tradition - La Befana the Christmas Witch! Befana is a grandmotherly figure in Italian folklore who roams Italy on the night of January 5th delivering presents to good little children. When I was a kid my grandmother had a little figurine of la Befana and I was always fascinated by this old woman who played the role of our Santa Claus. Read on to learn her history, as well as see three new recipes: an easy holiday puppy chow snack, a beef stew and short rib ragu combination that I have been inhaling all week, and a colorful citrus galette!
Who is la Befana?
La Befana is the good witch of Christmas that some say pre-dates Santa Claus! The story goes that la Befana was approached by Three Wise Men who had lost their way on their journey to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus (don’t ask me how they wound up so far off course in Italy). La Befana gave them a place to stay for the night and in exchange they invited her to join them on their travels. She had too much housework to do and had to decline. If only one of the men had offered to say behind and clean, and then we would have Two Wise Men and One Very Wise Woman!
The legend continues that la Befana had a change of heart and set off to find Bethlehem, but never made it. And so, on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany every year she flies around on her broomstick looking for Jesus, delivering candy and presents to kids along the way. Supposedly she sweeps the floors as she travels, setting the stage for a clean new year.
Does anyone out there celebrate with la Befana or the Feast of the Epiphany? I would love to hear what your family does!
The Recipes
I am so excited about the recipes this week. The Beef Stew Short Rib Ragu is probably my favorite recipe of the newsletter so far. It’s a hearty, comforting dish that combines two of my best-loved winter dishes: Beef Stew and Short Rib Ragu. The Gingerbread Puppy Chow is a holiday version of an old favorite - I still remember being in Kindergarten when Jacinda Hover’s mother brought in puppy chow for the class and I thought it was the best thing I’d ever had! And the Citrus Galette is a show-stopper.
The Snack: Gingerbread Puppy Chow - I hope people are familiar with the concept of puppy chow, otherwise you may be wondering why I’m talking about dog food. This snack is sometimes called Muddy Buddies, and the traditional version combines melted chocolate and peanut butter with Chex cereal, and then coats them with powdered sugar. For this holiday version we use Cinnamon Chex and first coat them with butter and molasses and then melted chocolate. For the final layer we mix them with a combination of powdered sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves to give it a true gingerbread feel.
The Dinner: Beef Stew Short Rib Ragu - There’s nothing quite as satisfying on a cold night as spooning up a warm bowl of Beef Stew. Except maybe eating a hearty plate of Short Rib Ragu. I feel like these two dishes are culinary cousins anyway, so I figured why not combine them? This recipe features tender short ribs that are cooked in tomatoes, beef broth, and red wine until the meat falls right off the bone (like a ragu) combined with nourishing mushrooms and vegetables like carrots, onion, and peas (like a beef stew). A few things to note:
This is not a quick weeknight meal! Most of the work is upfront, but the ragu needs to simmer for several hours to allow the meat to cook slowly. Thankfully it reheats wonderfully so can last for several meals!
I use bone-in short ribs, but they can sometimes be hard to find and are expensive. As an alternative you can use beef chuck or round steak cut into 1-inch pieces.
You can make this (and most beef stews) in the oven or on the stovetop. Making stew in the oven is a great idea because it heats the pot from all sides, allowing it to cook faster and more evenly. On the flip side, I sometimes prefer to make stew on the stovetop because I can watch it more closely and can regularly season it with salt as needed.
The Dessert: Citrus Galette with Almond Marscapone Cream - I love the way this galette looks, especially if you use different citrus like grapefruit, Cara Cara oranges, navel oranges, blood oranges, or Meyer lemons. This recipe uses store-bought pie dough to keep things simple, but feel free to substitute with your favorite dough recipe. If you’ve never baked with citrus before, just be aware that the taste can be quite bitter. Most of this bitterness is the result of the pith (the white part), so there’s a few things we do to combat this.
First, we boil the oranges for a few minutes then plunge them under cold water to help draw out the bitter compounds, then we cut off as much of the pith as possible, then we add sugar and honey to the oranges to counteract the bitterness. Still, the flavor of baked oranges can be a bit polarizing and while I love them, I understand if not everyone agrees!
This recipe contains a marscapone cream that begins with whipping a small amount of heavy cream. If you’re using a Stand Mixer, you may have trouble whipping such a small amount. My advice in that case is to double the recipe and save half of it - the marscapone is great on cake, ice cream, or with cookies!
Gingerbread Puppy Chow
Prep Time 15 Min | Cook Time 5 Min | Makes about 7 cups
Ingredients
6 cups cinnamon Chex
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground clove
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp molasses
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tbsp heavy cream
One 10-ounce bag Christmas of M&Ms
Recipe
Place the Chex in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the powdered sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and clove in a small bowl and set aside.
Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat, then stir in the molasses until they are well combined. Pour this mixture over the Chex and toss the cereal until they are evenly coated.
Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for thirty seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving in third second increments, stirring after each time, until the chocolate is fully melted. Pour the chocolate over the Chex and toss them until they are evenly coated with chocolate.
Let the Chex cool for about 5 minutes, then pour in the powdered sugar mix. Toss the Chex until they are well coated with powdered sugar. If there is not enough powdered sugar to coat all the Chex, add another quarter cup and continue tossing. Make sure you are mixing with the bottom of the bowl, as the powdered sugar tends to fall to the bottom. Mix in the M&Ms, then serve.
Beef Stew Short Rib Ragu
Prep Time 30 Min | Cook Time 3 Hrs | 6 to 8 Servings
Ingredients
3 ½ pounds bone-in short ribs
2 tbsp olive oil
8 ounces sliced baby Bella mushrooms
1 medium yellow onion, thickly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
½ cup red wine
3 to 4 carrots, cut into round slices
2 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
1 bay leaf
4 to 5 sprigs of rosemary, thyme, or sage
1 cup frozen peas
16 ounces pappardelle or other pasta
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Pat the short ribs dry with a paper towel, then season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven or oven-safe pot, then add the short ribs. Do not overcrowd the pot; you may need to do this in 2 batches. Let the ribs sit undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes, until a brown sear develops on the bottom. Then flip the ribs and sear the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the ribs from the pot and set aside on a plate.
Add the mushrooms to the pot and cook until they are browned, about 5 minutes. Then add the onion, garlic, and tomato paste and cook until the onions have started to soften, 3 to 5 minutes.
Deglaze the pot by adding the red wine and scraping the bottom to pick up the bits stuck to the bottom. Cook until the wine has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Then return the short ribs to the pot and add the carrots, potatoes, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, bay leaf, and herbs. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil. Once it is boiling, place the cover on top and transfer the pot to the oven.
Let the ragu cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours, until the ribs easily fall off the bones. Check the ragu every hour; if it is becoming too dry add a half cup of beef broth. Skim off any fat that has developed on top. Taste the liquid and add salt as necessary.
Once the meat is cooked, remove the ribs to a cutting board, cut off the fat, then shred the meat with a fork. Remove the herbs as well. Return the shredded meat to the pot and add the frozen peas. Place the ragu on the stovetop and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Taste and add salt if needed.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until it is al dente. Drain, then combine with the sauce and mix everything together. Serve with grated Pecorino Romano on top.
Citrus Galette with Almond Marscapone Cream
Prep Time 20 Min | Cook Time 40 Mins | 6 to 8 Servings
Ingredients
2 frozen pie crusts
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
½ cup marscapone
2 tsp almond extract
3 citrus fruits (mix of grapefruit, cara cara oranges, blood oranges, Meyer lemon, navel oranges)
2 tbsps granulated sugar
1 egg, mixed in a bowl
1 tbsp honey
Recipe
Remove the frozen pie crusts from the freezer and let thaw completely.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Add the whole oranges to the pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes, then immediately plunge them under cold water to stop the cooling. This will help remove the bitterness of cooked oranges.
Cut the oranges into ¼ inch slices and then peel them. Use a knife to remove as much of the pith as possible. Sprinkle the slices with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and set aside.
Add the whipping cream and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer) and use the whisk attachment on high to beat the cream until stiff peaks appear and it has the texture of whipped cream, about 3 minutes. Then add the marscapone and almond extract and mix until thick, 1 to 2 minutes; do not overbeat or the marscapone will split.
Combine the two pie crusts into a ball and gently knead together for a minute until they are well combined. Sprinkle flour on a countertop and then roll the pie crusts into a loose 12-inch circle. Do not worry about perfect edges; the galette should look rustic and uneven. Carefully transfer the crust onto a sheet of parchment paper.
Spread the marscapone cream across the pie crust, leaving an empty border of about 2 inches around the edges. Then place the orange slices in a single layer on top of the cream; you may need to cut some in half to make them fit. Then fold the edges of the galette over on top of the orange slices. Brush the egg wash on the crust.
Bake the galette until the crust is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes, then remove from oven. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and then let cool. Drizzle the galette with honey then serve.