We had company this weekend, so I planned this special dinner, but it never worked out to make it (it’s fairly heavy and takes about 4 hours to make). So, when our friends (and mentors) from church texted me on Sunday night, I asked if they had anything planned for Memorial Day. We ended up having a delicious dinner and played a game of Dominion while eating dessert and sipping coffee. What a fun night! Here’s the menu:
They brought a salad and blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream and we made the following dishes, along with coffee and iced tea:
- Herbed Risotto with Parmesan (from OliveGarden.com; I used Riesling and my homemade vegetable bouillon)
- Chianti Braised Short Ribs (also from OliveGarden.com; we used all-natural, local beef that still had the ribs in and just removed the rib bones after cooking – the meat is tender enough that it just falls off)
- Glazed Carrots and Scallions (we added garlic scapes)
I forgot to take a picture the night of, but here’s a picture of the leftovers with some steamed broccoli and fruit salad:
Bryan told me I could make this dish anytime I want (actually he told me about six times over the next three days). That’s a definite win… (*scurries to write down recipe*). And we had plenty of leftovers for several meals. So rich and delicious!
Note: It did take a while to make, but most of that time is inactive time, so you can do something else while it simmers away on the stove for three hours. When the ribs have 30 minutes left, start your risotto recipe and finish it while your sauce reduces (you may want to add a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce after it’s reduced for a while; put 2 Tbsp. of cornstarch in a small ball and stir in 1/4 c. of the hot broth until it’s smooth, then add the cornstarch mixture back into the sauce pot). While your sauce is reducing, start the carrot dish (takes about 15 minutes total).
Bon Appetit!
