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½ cup soy sauce

½ cup red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 large onions, cut into half rounds

2 medium green bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced

2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced

Two 15-ounce cans double-strength beef broth

8 crusty rolls (see savvy)

put the flank steaks into a 2-gallon zipper-top plastic bag. Mix the garlic, oregano, basil, bay leaf, shallots, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the oil together in a bowl. Pour the marinade into the bag and toss with the meat to coat. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

remove the meat from the marinade and discard the marinade. Roll the steaks from the short side and place them in the bottom of the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until they are softened and begin to turn translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the bell peppers and sauté until they are softened, about 5 minutes.

transfer the onions and bell peppers to the cooker and stir in the broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, until the meat is tender.

remove the meat from the cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce. Unroll the meat on a cutting board and cut across the grain into thin slices. Return the meat to the slow cooker.

serve the meat, onions, and peppers from the cooker along with the crusty rolls.

serves 8

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italian beef savvy

Use firm-crusted rolls for this sandwich so you can dip them into the beef juice, as it is done in Chicago. A crusty roll can withstand the extra moisture, whereas soft-crusted rolls will shrink and become gummy.

Short Ribs

Short ribs come from the end of the rib section and can be sold with or without pieces of bone. I recommend that you buy boneless short ribs because they cook faster than those with bones, and you won’t have to take the meat off the bone to serve it.

Pacific Rim Braised Short Ribs

This succulent dish is a great way to jump-start a weeknight dinner. The Asian flavors highlight the beefy short ribs, and when served with soba noodles or sticky rice and an Asian cabbage salad, your family will be asking for seconds!

1½ tablespoons vegetable oil

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

4½ pounds boneless short ribs, fat trimmed (see savvy)

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups sliced sweet onions, such as Vidalia or red onions (about 4 medium to large)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

½ cup soy sauce

1½ cups chicken broth

Chopped green onions for garnishing

Toasted sesame seeds for garnishing

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pat half the brown sugar onto the ribs. Add the ribs a few at a time to the skillet and brown on all sides, being careful not to burn the sugar.

transfer the ribs to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger to the skillet over mediumhigh heat and sauté until the onions and garlic are fragrant, about 4 minutes.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert and stir in the remaining sugar, the hoisin, soy sauce, and broth. Sprinkle with the pepper. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 8 hours or on low for 3½ to 4 hours, until the meat is tender.

remove the meat from the slow-cooker insert. Skim off any fat from the sauce and pour some of the sauce over the meat. Serve any remaining sauce on the side. Garnish the ribs with the green onions and sesame seeds. serves 4–6

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short ribs savvy

You may not be able to get exactly 4½ pounds of short ribs—it may be 5 pounds or it may be 4 pounds. I recommend purchasing 7 boneless ribs no matter what the weight comes to, that way you have about 1½ ribs per person, once all the fat and collagen has melted away.

Pub-Crawl Short Ribs

My daughter lived in London for a while, and I was delighted