Beef chuck is from the shoulder, a hard-working flavorful muscle that requires long cooking to become tender so the flavor can really be appreciated.
![SpicyAsianBraisedBeef-b4c291515c9673a983c449475632170d Beef chuck is from the shoulder, a hard-working flavorful muscle that requires long cooking to become tender so the flavor can really be appreciated.](https://ofbf.org/app/uploads/2015/11/SpicyAsianBraisedBeef-b4c291515c9673a983c449475632170d.jpg)
Beef chuck is from the shoulder, a hard-working flavorful muscle that requires long cooking to become tender so the flavor can really be appreciated.
Ohio’s wine industry was built on sweet wines from varietals like Niagara, Concord and Catawba. Sips of sweet red wines are wonderful with chocolate desserts.
The juice for Maize Valley’s Chardonnay comes from Washington State. It’s just another example of the farm’s attempts to maintain diversity in what it can offer visitors who arrive all year long to sip and sample wines. Chardonnay can be produced into wines that range from dessert sweet to deliciously dry. This one is buttery, slightly oaky with hints of vanilla and buddies up beautifully with this delicious Caponata, a Sicilian appetizer or side dish, especially nice with roasted chicken.
The Frontenac wine grape is a versatile variety that has found a home at the Maize Valley Winery. Relatively new in the wine making world, it bravely stands up to sub zero temperatures and unpredictable winters. Not as bold and dry as a Cabernet but not as sweet as a Concord wine, it earned the label “Middle of the Road” and goes well with grilled meats like this flavorful cut. If there are leftovers, add them to a salad the next day.
Funny looking vegetables can raise an eyebrow among suspicious eaters. Take zucchini, which comes in a variety of oddball shapes and sizes. The savvy cook knows that this vegetable is one of the most versatile and nutritious and its bland flavor and creamy texture does a good job of highlighting spices and seasonings.
Give beets a chance with this method. Slow roast them into an amazing candy-like finish, which has the potential of converting long-time avoiders into life-long lovers of this crimson root vegetable.
A red pepper is simply a green pepper allowed to mature on the plant, gaining great color and terrific sweetness. There’s nothing hot about this variety. “Pear” it up with some of the season’s naturally sweet vegetables in this soup that looks and feels like a cream soup on the tongue yet doesn’t contain a drop of cream.
Eggplant, the bulbous purple vegetable, is a delightful oddity. The name alone raises questions and can turn up noses. However, it has a soft, creamy texture and a neutral flavor that allows accompanying flavors to take the spotlight. Called “caviar” this recipe is as delicious and special as the real thing.
One of the best ways to showcase the taste of naturally sweet pure butter is in a shortbread cookie. Simple to make, they require only four ingredients and a light touch. Minimal handling of the dough will reward you with a finely pored cookie that has a tender, crumbly texture.
This recipe uses butter for sautéing and to finish a rich sauce. It’s a classic Indian dish that takes almost less time to make than the accompanying rice. Spice it up, or not, with green chile peppers. By the way, this dish gets better with time. Make it up to two days ahead, refresh with more pepper and cilantro, if needed, and dig in.
Compound butter is a great friend to a home cook. Ranging from sweet to savory, it can be blended with honey, fruits and warm spices and slathered on scones and breads or mixed with fragrant herbs and rubbed on a chicken waiting to roast. This recipe, in particular, is ideal for spreading on warm, crusty baguettes before dinner, smeared over grilled lamb or mixed into warm rice.
This simple and quick recipe is seriously worth the decadence provided by a bathing of butter. Be sure to ask your fishmonger for “dry scallops” – ones that are not injected with water solutions to plump them. Dry scallops brown better in the pan.