Nov 032013
 

Pressure Cooked Beef Short Ribs

From a summer full of adventure to the new season of Fall —  it’s been a lot of fun glamping in the Airstream during this season of change.  I continue to pick apples off my heirloom trees after my early morning walks through the quiet town of Roslyn with Oliver.  It’s a sweet ritual I have come to adore and really look forward to.

While cleaning/organizing the storage in my Airstream last weekend, I happened upon my beloved pressure cooker.  It was good timing too as sitting in my fridge were  some beautiful beef short ribs I was planning on braising away in the Airstream kitchen for a few hours for dinner that evening.  Thankfully with the pressure cooker it not only cut down the timing of braising by more than half, it also produced some of the most deliciously flavored short ribs I have had in a long time.  In less than one hour I was able to serve up those fall-off-the-bone beauties atop a bed of fluffy sweet potatoes. I will admit, I was little upset with myself that I had forgotten about my pressure cooker.  It truly is a time (and propane!)  saver in the silver kitchen.

glamping breakfast in the Airstream

Breakfasts are always a peaceful time during our weekends away in the Airstream.  First comes coffee and then, once I’m fully awake – which sometimes takes two cups (morning person I am not) – I begin the art of preparing breakfast.

I love my tiny kitchen for many more reasons than one.  First and foremost, everything is at hand.  No walking to and from to retrieve ingredients and if I remain organized and clean up along the way – the entire process is remarkably enjoyable.  I love to take pictures of the process too (you may be surprised to hear that, lol).

Airstream glamping with Oliver our dog

Heirloom apple and pumpkin fritters were in our future thanks to the fresh apples from my trees and a recipe I came across on Pinterest.  If you are a Pinterest user, you can follow me there at Pinterest.com/J5MM if you would like ♥

While cooking those fritters I happened to glance out of the window to see what B was up too.  It seems he had found an old axe on our property (from the coal mining days I am sure) and had a fun time playing make believe.  I was able to watch him (and take some snaps) for quite a while until finally he caught me, lol :)

Glamping with our Airstream

These turned out SO perfect after I put a little spin on them.  You can find the recipe for these here.  My spin was adding a handful of finely chopped apples as well as a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice to really bring out the pumpkin flavor.  I also didn’t have flour so I used my most favorite pancake mix (Snoqualmie Falls Lodge NutriRich Pancake Mix).  I also used a small ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into my pot ensuring they would all come out the same size.  The caramel sauce called for golden syrup (which I find at World Market) but I’ve made caramel sauce before and if you don’t have it — I don’t think it’s a big deal if you don’t use it.  These are a must try!

Apple Pumpkin Fritters

Apple Pumpkin Fritters in the Airstream Kitchen for Breakfast

Oliver our canine glamping and Airstreaming companion

And those are how our days unfold on the weekends — early morning walks, leisurely breakfasts and then talks about what our day will bring activity wise.  Lately it’s been fly fishing.

It’s something the three of us really enjoy doing.  B is a natural angler for sure while hubby and I struggle to keep up, lol :)  Not but seriously, it’s not about catching fish (what I have learned).  It’s all about the experience.  Being out in nature, standing in the cool rushing river and enjoying yourself.

And if you do happen to get a bite or even catch a fish — it’s exciting!  But not necessary . . .

fly fishing in Cle Elum, WA

And of course, my thoughts are always focused on what’s ahead for dinner because I do have two boys.

Two hungry boys — hungry constantly, lol :)

And I feel lucky because they both love beets!  Actually, they love everything which empowers me to explore and cook a variety of things.

Like this salad for example which made them slow down and enjoy each and every bite.

delicate beet salad

delicate beet salad recipe from my Airstream kitchen

That was such a simple salad to make — only assembly required really except for the pink sauce you see underneath.  I simply took a small log of goat cheese, placed it in my 3-cup food processor along with a splash of heavy cream with a little nub of roasted beet (about 1 inch by 1 inch) and whirled away until the sauce became a pretty pink color.  I added some salt to it for taste and placed it on the plate first then adding the beet slices alternating with grapefruit slices.  Pistachios and nasturtium capers (thank you Audra!) with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar glaze added a nice little crunch/bite.

Orvis Gold Fly Rod

pressure cooker beef short ribs in the Airstream kitchen

These pressure cooked beef short ribs were AMAZINGLY delicious!!  The recipe follows below :)

I served the ribs atop sweet potatoes were so simple to make — I cut three medium sized potatoes and boiled them until tender.  I added a pat of butters, splash of cream and a few tablespoons of maple syrup and mashed them all up together adding some salt and pepper at the end to taste :)

fishing on the Cle Elum River

fishing the cle elum river with Oliver our sweet dog

Pressure Cooked Beef Short Ribs

Next weekend will be our last in Rolsyn as we pull the trailer back home.  We plan on doing some more glamping trips over the weekends including (possibly) bringing the Airstream back to Orcas Island for a traditional Thanksgiving in the San Juan Islands.

We also have another big ski trip planned too which I am pretty excited about!  Details on that to come xoxo

Thank you for visiting xoxo

Monica

 

Pressure Cooker Beef Short Ribs

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 bone-in short ribs (2 pounds)
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 1 large carrot (chopped)
  • 2 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 2 tablespoons (tomato paste)
  • 1 tablespoon (flour)
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 1 beef boullion cube (that equals to four cups when diluted)
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon maggi liquid seasoning
  • 2 big sprigs of rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves
  • s&p to taste

Note

adapted from bakenoir.com

This would be wonderful to prepare the day before (or morning of) allowing the entire pot to sit in the fridge so the fat rises to the top and hardens.  You can then easily lift the fat off making the job alot easier than skimming with a spoon.

Directions

Step 1
season the ribs with salt and pepper. In your pressure cooker heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add your ribs to the pot and cook over high heat until all sides are browned. I brown all four sides of each rib so you get the most browning (flavor). Remove ribs from pot and set aside.
Step 2
Heat the remaining oil in the pot adding your onions, carrot and garlic cooking over moderate heat for one minute until slightly softened - about five minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cook for one minute. Add the beef broth and red wine vinegar and stir everything loosening up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Add your rosemary sprigs and bay leaves as well as the ribs at this point. You want to make sure you have enough liquid to almost cover the ribs completely so if you are short, add more beef broth or water.
Step 3
Bring everything to a boil and secure your pressure cooker lid locking it. Over medium high heat, bring your pressure cooker to pressure at which point you will turn down the heat to medium low and cook for approximately 45 minutes. Once you have reached 45 minutes, turn the heat off and let your pressure cooker come down in pressure naturally -- about another 15 minutes.
Step 4
Remove ribs from pot and do your best to skim the fat off the top. Remove rosemary and bay leaves. Alternatively you can strain the cooking liquid and place it in a fat separator after which you would pour the liquid back into your pot.
Step 5
In a small cup, add 1 tablespoon of the cooking liquid to 2 tablespoons of flour and mix until well combined and no lumps remain. Add this mixture to the cooking liquid and bring the pot to boil whisking well until the flour mixture combined and the liquid thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste at this point. Return the ribs to the pot so they soak up the heavenly thickened sauce.
Step 6
Serve atop sweet potatoes drizzling the sauce over the top.
Step 7
Bon appetit!

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