Braised Flanken With Pomegranate Food

POMEGRANATE-BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In a large heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat 2 tablespoons oil over high. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. In batches, brown ribs on all sides. Transfer to a plate, pour off oil, and wipe loose bits out of pot.
• Reduce heat to medium-high and add remaining 3 tablespoons oil to pot. Add onion, garlic, and thyme. Cook, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add flour and stir to coat. Whisk in pomegranate juice and wine and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Return ribs to pot, cover, and transfer to oven.
• Bake until ribs are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 3 hours. With a slotted spoon, carefully transfer ribs to a large platter. Strain liquid into a fat separator, let sit briefly, and return to pot, discarding fat (or, skim off fat with a spoon). Bring to a boil over medium-high and cook until reduced to a sauce-like consistency, 10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, season with salt and pepper, and pour over ribs. Top with pomegranate seeds.

POMEGRANATE BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F,
• Make sure the short ribs have been out of the fridge for about 30 minutes to take some of the chill off. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk together the pomegranate juice and pomegranate molasses.
• Heat a large oven-safe pot (that has a lid!) over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil.
• Dredge each short rib through the flour mixture, coating on all sides. Place it in the pot and sear on all sides until golden brown - just about 1 minute per side. You can do this in batches if necessary and add a touch more oil if needed. You don't want a ton of oil because you don't want the ribs swimming in it. Once the ribs are seared and all in the pot, add the pomegranate juice mixture. Cover the pot and stick it in the oven. Braise for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• After 3 hours, the ribs should be tender and falling apart. You can garnish them with some pomegranate arils if you'd like! I love to serve these with polenta, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes!

BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS IN A POMEGRANATE BARBEQUE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine half the barbeque sauce with half the pomegranate juice and add the agave, to taste. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and reduce until thick, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line the bottom of a braising or roasting pan with the orange slices.
• Brush the reduced sauce onto the short ribs and sear in a saute pan over high heat until the sugars are nice and caramelized. Place the meat into the braising pan with the orange slices. Pour in the remaining barbeque sauce and pomegranate juice and enough water to cover the meat completely. Cover with aluminum foil and cook until the meat is tender and falling off the bone, up to 4 hours, checking often.

BRAISED FENNEL WITH POMEGRANATE

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over high; add olive oil and fennel in a single layer (work in batches, if needed). Season with salt and pepper; cook until browned, 2 minutes a side. Add garlic, orange juice, broth, and pomegranate juice. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer, turning once, until tender, 8 minutes. Uncover; cook on high until liquid is syrupy, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool 5 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with mint, fennel fronds, hazelnuts, and pomegranate seeds.

BRAISED FLANKEN WITH POMEGRANATE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season meat generously all over with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear meat in batches until dark golden, 3 to 4 minutes a side. Transfer meat to a platter.
• Add oil to pan and sauté carrots, celery, leeks, garlic and shallot until vegetables are softened and slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes; season lightly with salt and pepper. Add pomegranate juice and wine, and cook, scraping browned bits from bottom of pan, until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the stock, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Return meat to pot. Liquid should reach halfway up sides of meat. If not, add a little more stock or water.
• Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook, turning meat every 30 minutes until fork tender, about 2 hours.
• If you have time, let meat cool and chill overnight. The next day, remove fat from surface, then reheat over low heat. Stir in the pomegranate molasses if using, and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and cilantro just before serving.

LAMB BRAISED IN POMEGRANATE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Generously season lamb chops with salt and black pepper.
• Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Place lamb chops in Dutch oven and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer lamb to a plate and reduce heat to medium.
• Stir onion and a pinch of salt into the Dutch oven; cook until onions are slightly golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Pour pomegranate juice into the Dutch oven and scrape any browned bits off of the bottom of the pot. Pour in balsamic vinegar, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil.
• Stir rosemary, mint leaves, and red pepper flakes into pomegranate juice mixture. Continue to boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Return lamb and any accumulated juices to Dutch oven, spoon pomegranate mixture over lamb, and cover.
• Cook in the preheated oven until meat is fork tender, about 2 hours. Transfer lamb to a plate and set Dutch oven on the stovetop over high heat. Bring pomegranate mixture to a boil; cook, skimming any fat that accumulates, until liquid is reduced by 1/3, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in honey and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Return lamb to the Dutch oven; stir to combine. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, sliced mint leaves, and pumpkin seeds.