Michael Symon's Live to Cook_ Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen - Michael Symon [70]
Serve the shanks on top of the braised endive, sprinkled with the gremolata.
BRAISED RABBIT THIGHS WITH OLIVES AND ORANGE
In culinary school, I discovered I was allergic to rabbit, but I loved it so much that I kept eating little bits until my head stopped swelling up. (This is probably not the medically recommended way to handle a food allergy, so either consult your doc first or don’t hold me responsible if things don’t work out so well! Or, make this with chicken thighs.) In any case, I was primed when the Chairman revealed “Battle Rabbit” during my first season on Iron Chef. We used a pressure cooker to make the tough thighs tender in under an hour, but at home or at the restaurant I would simply braise them. The pressure cooker really cuts cooking time, but it has drawbacks: You can’t use your senses of sight and touch and you can’t test for doneness. I’m a fan of low and slow because it’s gentle on the meat.
Orange and olives always play well together and are a combination I love. Add a little shaved fennel and mint and you’ve got yourself a salad. I love a rich piece of protein with a salad—grilled lamb on favas and mint, spicy greens on a steak—and this is another example.
Serves 6
12 bone-in rabbit thighs or chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted and ground (see Symon Says; 2 tablespoons)
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup olive oil, or more as needed
1 medium red onion, halved and sliced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 fresno chile, seeded and sliced
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup fresh orange juice
3 cups Chicken Stock
12 black oil-cured olives, pitted and chopped
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chestnut honey
1 cup toasted sliced almonds (see Symon Says)
Preheat the oven to 225°F.
Put a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the rabbit thighs with salt, pepper, and the coriander and then dredge in the flour, shaking off excess. Add the oil to the Dutch oven. Working in batches if necessary, brown the thighs for about 2 minutes per side. Remove them to a large plate. Add the onion, garlic, chile, almonds, and a pinch of salt to the Dutch oven, and sauté until the vegetables and almonds begin to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine, orange juice, and stock, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the thighs to the Dutch oven and bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover the pan, transfer to the oven, and braise for 3 hours, or until the meat is very tender.
Remove the thighs from the pot. Over medium heat, return the sauce to a simmer and whisk in the olives, parsley, and honey. Return the thighs to the pot to reheat and then serve.
This dish, like most braised dishes, is best if it’s made a day or two before serving so that it can cool in its cooking liquid, which enhances its flavor and its delicate texture.
BRAISED SHORT RIBS WITH PICKLED GREEN TOMATOES
My chef de cuisine at Lola, Derek Clayton, makes these short ribs, and they are the best I’ve ever had. I love them topped with pickled tomatoes, a sharp contrast to the richness of the meat. They’d also be beautiful, though, with Soft Polenta with Mascarpone.
The keys to these short ribs are seasoning them a day before cooking them, cooking them on the bone, cooking them until they’re tender but not mushy, and allowing them to cool in their cooking liquid, which they will reabsorb. All these steps give them a great depth of flavor. We take them off the bone and trim them before serving and we save the trim to mix with the stuffing for Beef Cheek Pierogies.
Serves 6
6 pounds meaty beef short ribs