Korean Beef Short Ribs

"Bow Chicka Bao Bao!!"
(yes...Dave and I kept saying that as we made this.  And yes...we think we are so clever)

Now, let me put this out there before anyone says anything.  I'm not sure what makes this meat "Korean," except for the fact that I adapted the recipe from an existing recipe that claimed it was.  Either way, it was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten!!  When trying to figure out what to serve it with, I immediately thought of a steamed Bao bun.  What an amazing combination!

Ingredients:
for the beef:
2-3 cloves garlic
3/4 inches of ginger, peeled
1/3 cups soy sauce - we used low sodium
1/4 cups brown sugar
3 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs sesame oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/5 pounds beef short ribs - we used boneless
a bit of cornstarch and water

for the steamed buns:
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tbsp oil
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour, plus about another half cup for kneading

for the cucumber slaw:
1 cucumber
1/2 carrot (or 1 small carrot)
4 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
large pinch of salt
1 pinch red pepper flakes

Directions:
for the beef:

1. Finely mince garlic and ginger.  Mix with soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. 
2. Place short ribs into a crock pot and pour sauce over ribs. 
3. Cover, and cook on low for about 8 hours. 
4. When the meat is falling apart, turn off the heat, remove from the pot, and shred the beef.
5. Pour the juice from the crock pot into a container and place in the fridge to cool while you prepare the other components.

 this is how you know it's ready

once I removed the sauce they got a little dry. don't worry- they will be rejuicified  later!

for the steamed buns:

1. Place the yeast into the warm water, stir, and let sit for 5 minutes to activate.
2. Once bubbly, add the sugar and oil to the yeast mixture.
3. Combine 2 cups of flour with the baking powder, then add to the yeast mixture.
4. Mix the dough (it will be very sticky).  Knead and continue to add flour until smooth (for us, it took about a half cup of extra flour)
5. Cover dough, put it in a warm place, and let rise for 30 minutes.
6. Once risen, cut small pieces of dough and flatten into discs.
7. Place each disc onto a square of parchment paper, and steam for 10 minutes.

thanks, Dave, for doing the tough stuff! :)

 

 haha, that little disc got out of frame, and Dave wouldn't let me try a second photo!!

amazingly fluffy and delicious!

for the cucumber slaw:

1. Peel cucumber and carrot and chop into matchsticks. 
2. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes. 
3. Add the dressing to the cucumber and carrot and mix well.

 
to finish:

1. Remove the sauce from the refrigerator- by now you should be able to skim off the excess fat.
2. Place in a sauce pan and simmer until thickened. I wanted it a bit thicker so I added some cornstarch mixed with water. 
3. Pour the sauce on top of the meat, and stir to combine 
4. Serve on buns with some of the slaw and enjoy!

Beef recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen
Bun recipe from this video on YouTube

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese

Umm...these are totally spicy.  As in, too hot for Dave and me to handle (and I have a fairly high tolerance for heat!)

I'll certainly be making these again, since they were delicious, but with a lot less jalapeno :)

Ingredients:
5 jalapeno peppers (this is too many peppers. See above)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (we accidentally used salted)
3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened (we used low fat)
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 slices bread

Directions:

1. Char jalapeno skins by placing them over a low open flame, and rotating them until blackened all around.  You can also place jalapenos under the broiler and toast until blackened on all sides.  (see photos below) 
2. Remove from the flame (or oven), and allow the peppers to steam.  I placed my hot and blackened peppers in a small pot with the lid on.  You can also loosely wrap the peppers in foil.    
3. After peppers have steamed for about 10 minutes, place on a clean work surface.  Use the sharp edge of a knife to scrape the skin off the peppers.  Once clean of skin, chop and set aside. *note: It’s best to touch the peppers as little as possible, or wear plastic gloves.
4. For each sandwich, butter one side of each slice of bread.  Flip the bread so the butter is facing down.  Spread half of the cream cheese on one of the bread slices.  Sprinkle diced jalapenos atop the cream cheese.  Place half of the shredded cheese atop the jalapenos and cream cheese.  Top with remaining bread slice, butter side up. Repeat for second sandwich.
5. Grill sandwiches in a non-stick saute pan over medium heat.  Flip and cook until golden brown on each side.  Slice in half and serve immediately.

....and one more shot of the sandwich (I know- I broke every food photography "rule" in this shot- I was too close to the food, the angle was off, and there were stray crumbs left on the plate. I was just too hungry to care at the time!)

Recipe from Joy the Baker