Chef Stuart’s Beef and Guinness Short Ribs
This is one of my favorite dishes to make anytime of the year, it is so nice to be able to buy an affordable piece of meat, cook it for a long time and get amazing flavor out of it.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time 2.5 hours
Serves 4 – 6
Ingredients:
4 lbs boneless short ribs, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, cut into .5 inch pieces
1 can Guinness
2 cups low sodium beef stock
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 380 oF
1. Heat olive oil in Dutch oven
2. Pan sear short ribs until nice and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side
3. Remove meat from pan and set aside
4. Saute onions and garlic until lightly browned, scrape any brown bits from bottom of pan using a wooden spoon.
5. Add carrots and celery and let cook for further 5 minutes
6. Add 1 cup of beef stock and scrape bottom of pan to remove any more browned bits.
7. Add back in the meat followed by the remaining stock and can of Guinness
8. Season with salt and pepper
9. Bring stew to a simmer for 20 minutes, cover and place in oven and braise for 2 hours
Serve with a fresh green salad or on top of mashed potatoes
Flavoring Oils and Vinegars
If you got a few empty containers lying around or old olive oil bottles, why not try something fresh and new such as flavoring oils !! This can add great flavor to your cooking.
I was at a speaking engagement not so long ago and introduced this to the audience, I was surprised that many did not know this was possible. It also looks cool on your kitchen counter !
1. Rinse and dry 2cups of your favorite fresh herbs such as basil, mint, dill, rosemary..whatever tickles your fancy!
2. In a jar or a tightly closed container, place 2 cups canola/olive oil/white wine vinegar with the fresh herbs (ensure all herbs are covered in oil), close container and place in a cool non sunlight area for about 10 days.
3. After 10 days have passed, place the oil or vinegar using a coffee filter into an air tight bottle. Try and look out for clear bottles as you can see the color infused into the oil or vinegar.
4. Cap the bottle and store in the refrigerator.
5. Store oil in fridge and vinegar in cupboard
Chef Stuart
The Perfect Pantry
When i go to my pantry, I know I’ll be able to prepare something great for dinner. Look at your cupboard space in your kitchen and determine where the best place is to host a pantry. Once this is decided, look at each shelf and chose what ingredient you always want to have in that space. This way replenishing will be easy when you head to the grocery store. You will know instantly when you open you cupboard what you are running low on.
Here is my list of must have’s in your pantry
Oils and Vinegars
Canola oil, Extra virgin olive oil, seasame oil, cooking spray, balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, cider vinegar.
Canned Goods
Mixture of different beans such as pinto, garbanzo and cannellini, chicken and beef broth (low sodium), Marzano tomatoes (they are my favorite to use in the kitchen), canned tuna, artichoke hearts.
Baking and Sugar
All purpose flour, self rising, whole wheat, quick cooking oats, baking soda, baking powder, panko breadcrumbs, various types of pastas (whole wheat where possible), soba noodles. rice (brown, wild, aborio etc, couscous.
Nuts and fruit
Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, seasame seeds, peanut butter, almond butter, various dried fruits for that quick snack on the go !
Miscellaneous
Olives (calamata are good), low fat mayo. capers, dijon mustard (Grey Poupon is my favorite), hot sauce (you can’t be without it here in the U.S), low sodium soy sauce, thai curry paste (red and green)
Take a chill (the freezer is the best place to keep ingredients that will always be fresh)
Frozen fruits such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries etc, broccoli, peas, corn, spinach, shrimp, skinless chicken breasts
There ya go !!! now get cleaning out those cupbaords, Fall/Winter is around the corner and what a perfect time to organize your kitchen !!
Go to http://www.tupperware.com to find a consultant in your area and host a Tupperware party to discover all the great benefits of organizational products that they have to offer.
The Quick Chef
I want tell you about this awesome Tupperware product called the QUICK CHEF, as a spokesperson for Tupperware, I go through each day in the kitchen using a lot of their wonderful product collections. Every week i will choose my favorite product that i love and give you simple tips to help you on becoming a master in the kitchen.
This week’s product is called the Quick Chef
I use this in my kitchen about 5 times a week. I always have some use for it. From making awesome summer salsas/ dips to chopping onions or garlic. The best thing about this product is that it is so easy to clean, it has 3 parts that can all be rinsed in hot soapy water which makes clean up a breeze. No more of those silly choppers with 50 components to them!!
Go to
to get yours now or check out a local Tupperware Party in your area or have your own !
It’s all about the sauces!
I want to talk to you a bit about sauces for food. I am going to give you some helpful simple recipes that you can use to go with your favorite protein. I used to always find myself saying “and what will i have with this chicken breast tonight?”. You have your veggies…check! your protein…check! but you forgot about what you will drizzle over them. Take these recipes and use them as a cheat sheet and at a moments notice you will be able to whip up some awesome sauce to go with your creation. And do not worry about the butter, even butter has a place in a healthy diet, just teach yourself to balance well. Sauces that are buttery, choose to have them with steamed veggies or fish. You can always work what you want into your diet with a little compromise.
Basic White Sauce
This is a spin on a classic 19th century recipe!
2 tablepsoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup carrot, finely chopped
3 strips, turkey bacon
2 tablespoons all- purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
small handful parsley
fresh cracked pepper
1. Place butter in small saucepan and heat on low.
2. Add onion, carrot, celery and bacon, cook for about 10 minutes. add flour and stir
3. Add milk in four parts, stirring with a fork or whisk. add parsley, salt and pepper.
4. bring to a simmer or until the sauce begins to thicken.
5. strain sauce
This makes about 2 cups, each serving is about 2 tablspoons. This sauce goes great with Pasta, Chicken or Pork.
My favorite Chicken/Fish Sauce
It’s my favorite sauce to serve with chicken or fish, decide which way you wanna go by either choosing fish stock or chicken stock.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups chicken/fish stock
salt and pepper
1. melt butter in small saucepan over low heat
2. Add flour to pan and cook for 3-5 minutes.
3. Add stock in 3 parts, constantly stirring until a smooth consistency is reached
4. Bring to a simmer until it becomes thick
5. season with salt and pepper
Red Wine Reduction
Since I am the type of chef that likes to cook fast, you can buy the demi glaze at gourmet stores or buy online.
1 cup cabernet sauvignon
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
3 tablespoons demi glaze
small handful thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 stick unsalted butter
salt and pepper
1. Add red wine, shallots, demi glaze, thyme and bayleaf to a small saucepan and bring to a boil for about 10-15 minutes
2. Add butter in 3 pieces, stirring constantly until smooth consistency is achieved.
3. Season to taste.
This goes extremely well with beef, veal or even duck !
There you have it, 3 simple sauces to make in no time to take your meal to another level !
