Up next in the foodie department: New Year’s Eve! Even though it will only be a few of us, I’ve decided to bring a few things for snacks and appetizer/starter type things. The first of these are these are Braised Beef Short Rib Arancini with Marinara + Pesto Aioli dips. Now arancini aren’t a quick thing — I braised the beef (of which I will only use some) and made the risotto myself as well so I actually started this endeavor yesterday. I find it easier to do over two days because you have to cool things completely between steps. They are time intensive, but well worth it. Consider it a “full weekend activity”. These do freeze extremely well, so I often make huge batches to last a few months.
Ingredients
for the Short Ribs
3 pounds beef short ribs (on the bone)
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 granny smith apple, diced
1 onion, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
3 garlic cloves, smashed
5 sprigs thyme
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
for the Risotto
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1 qt chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
3 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
for the Arancini
1/2 cup prosciutto, finely sliced and chopped
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, finely chopped
1/3 cup frozen peas
2 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups bread crumbs
canola oil, enough to cover a heavy bottom pan by 3 inches
for the dips
1-2 cups marinara sauce (store bought in fine)
1 1/2 cups mayoniase
4 tablespoons pesto (store bought is fine)
Directions
I do this in two stages over two days, because it is a very time intensive recipe (5+ hours, though there is a lot of passive time, where things are in the oven), but it can be done in one. The short ribs can also be done in a crock pot.
Preheat oven to 300F. Season short ribs generously with salt and ground pepper. Heat oil in a medium sized dutch oven. Add short ribs, brown on all sides and remove. Add apple, onion, celery, garlic and thyme and cook 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes until it deepens in color. Add wine, chicken stock, vinegar and honey and bring to a boil. Return the short ribs to the pot, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and transfer to the oven, braising for 3 hours. Check on it a couple of times, particularly in the last half hour, to see if the meat is tender. It should be “fall off the bone”. Remove short ribs from the pot and set aside to cool. strain the sauce into a large bowl and refrigerate to solidify the fat. When the meat is cool enough to handle, shred and discard the bones. If you are doing this over 2 days, this is where I would stop on the braised short ribs. There is still the risotto to go on day 1 too, so moving on….
Next up it making your risotto as it will need to cool completely (preferably overnight): Heat the stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then lower the heat so that the stock just stays hot. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the chopped shallot or onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until it is slightly translucent. Add the rice to the pot and stir it briskly with a wooden spoon so that the grains are coated with the oil and melted butter. Sauté for another minute or so, until there is a slightly nutty aroma. But don’t let the rice turn brown. Add the wine and cook while stirring, until the liquid is fully absorbed. Add a ladle of hot chicken stock to the rice and stir until the liquid is fully absorbed. When the rice appears almost dry, add another ladle of stock and repeat the process. Note: It’s important to stir constantly, especially while the hot stock gets absorbed, to prevent scorching, and add the next ladle as soon as the rice is almost dry. Continue adding ladles of hot stock and stirring the rice while the liquid is absorbed. As it cooks, you’ll see that the rice will take on a creamy consistency as it begins to release its natural starches. Continue adding stock, a ladle at a time, for 20-30 minutes or until the grains are tender but still firm to the bite, without being crunchy. If you run out of stock and the risotto still isn’t done, you can finish the cooking using hot water. Just add the water as you did with the stock, a ladle at a time, stirring while it’s absorbed. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the parmesan cheese and the parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool completely, preferably overnight, in the refrigerator.
Obviously this is the logical place to stop if you are doing it over 2 days, which I do.
Time to make the arancini. Chop some of the short ribs finely. In a small bowl, mix together the beef, peas and chopped mozzarella. In another small bowl, beat 2 eggs together with a few drops of water. Place the flour and bread crumbs on two separate plates.
Take a ball made of 2 tablespoons of the cooled risotto set in the palm of your hand and shape into a ball. Make a small well in the center and add 1 teaspoon of the mozzarella mixture. Work the rice so that it encloses the stuffing and forms a smooth ball. Make sure the filling is completely enclosed in the rice. This may take a little practice and you may find it easier to work with the rice if your hands are slightly wet. Dip them in water from time to time. Continue until all of the rice and filling are used up. These can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, but make sure you return them to room temperature at least 30 minutes before breading them. Otherwise, the cheese in the center will not melt properly.
Next, roll each ball in the flour until completely coated, tapping off any excess. Then, dip them into the beaten egg until coated. Let some of the excess egg drip off before rolling them in the bread crumbs. Let the coated arancini stand on a baking sheet as you coat the others. When all are breaded, reroll them one by one in the bread crumbs. Heat oil in a large, heavy bottom pot over medium heat until a sprinkling of bread crumbs sizzles on contact, about 350F. Add about 1/3 of the arancini to the oil. Fry them, turning them as necessary until they are golden brown on all sides about 8 minutes. The rice should be heated through and the cheese filling should be melted. Repeat with the remaining arancini. Set on paper towels to drain.
For the dips, I just warm the marinara sauce and serve along side. To make the Pesto Aioli dip, combine mayo and pesto until smooth (this is a cold sauce)
