Strawberry Tomato Short Ribs
When I’m not Dishing the Dirt, visiting farms, or creating recipes, I work for the Montgomery County Food Council. We are a network of people related to the food world, working together to examine the food system in Montgomery County and trying to find solutions to problems. One of our big projects this year is called the Eat Local Challenge. We provide home chefs the opportunity to create a recipe using a list of seasonal ingredients that can be found locally. Participants can win prizes from gift certificates and bragging rights, to their dish being offered at a local restaurant. Our Spring Challenge was great - we’re gearing up for an even better Summer Challenge, and I encourage you to check it out. It’s a fun way to be creative with your farm market ingredients and you may even win one of the great prizes!
In April, I wrote about the Food Council's Spring Challenge. This month, I created a recipe using ingredients from our Summer Challenge Basket. These ingredients include ribs, strawberries, tomatoes, wine, spinach, and peas. Having just visited Cibola Farms, I was inspired to use bison meat for the ribs. I learned so much about the benefits of bison meat, and since it was a new meat for me to cook, I was excited to try it. You can read all about bison meat and my trip to Cibola Farms here.
Strawberry Tomato Short Ribs
INGREDIENTS:
- 5 cups Strawberries (Westmoreland Berry Farm)
- 3 cups Chocolate Cherry Tomatoes (Mock’s Greenhouse)
- 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
- 1 Tbsp. Mustard (Two Acre Farm)
- 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 cup Red Wine, divided
- 4 cloves Garlic (Two Acre Farm)
- 1 large Onion, diced (Twin Springs Fruit Farm)
- 2 lbs. Bison Short Ribs* (Cibola Farms)
- 4 cups Spinach (Young Harvests)
- 2 cups Peas (Westmoreland Produce)
- 2 Spring Onions, minced (Spiral Path Farm)
- 1 Lemon
- 4 Tbsp. Olive Oil (All Things Olive)
*Cibola Farms is only at Mosaic Central Farm Market. You can also use beef or pork ribs, which can be found at Liberty Delight Farms or Springfield Farm (both at all three Central Farm Markets).DIRECTIONS:Cut the tops off of the strawberries and cut the tomatoes in half. Set aside a few strawberries to add to the salad, if desired. Add strawberries and tomatoes to a medium pot with brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and ½ cup of the wine. Turn heat to high and boil for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture should reduce down to about half. Let cool for a few minutes then puree using a standard or immersion blender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the ribs from their packaging. Cut ribs evenly to make them all the same size. Sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper. Add 4 Tbsp. olive oil to a Dutch oven on your stove top. When the oil is hot, place the ribs on the bottom of the pan. Let the meat brown and turn over only when the meat easily releases from the pan, about 2-3 minutes. Repeat for all sides of the ribs.
When the ribs have been browned on all edges, add ¾ of the puree mixture, the onions, and the other ½ cup of wine. Toss ingredients to coat the meat and onions. Place Dutch oven in the oven and cook until rib meat is tender and falling off the bone, about 4 hours. Make sure to baste the ribs every hour with more of the puree mixture.Remove the peas from their shell and drop into boiling water for 4 minutes. Have a bowl of ice water ready for you to drop them in after you drain the water - this will stop the cooking process quickly. Combine the minced onion with the olive oil, juice and zest from the lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss the spinach, cooled peas, and dressing.Plate your dish with the short ribs and salad. Enjoy with a glass of wine! This week choose your wine from Thanksgiving Farm Winery at Pike Central, Rocklands Farm Winery at Bethesda Central, and Monroe Bay Winery at Mosaic Central!