As I write this we are heading into the new year. As unbelievable as it is to be on the last days of the year, I think back to last January on what would be our second year into this pandemic. The year loomed as interminable, and now it’s all but done; and still, it feels as if not a lot has changed in these 12 months. It may seem like we have not advanced much in terms of the state of affairs with Covid-19, but we have. In Canada, we have a high vaccination rate, and now we’re getting the third (booster) shot. I am one of the ones that got covid and the Delta variant hit me pretty hard. Omicron seems to be affecting people in a very mild way, which gives me hope - and I don’t know why I feel this, but I feel and really hope this will be the turning point, that as many more people get infected with Omicron, we will achieve herd immunity and slowly but surely we will be moving on through this.
I really hope that we start the new year with lots of hope for the future. But before we get there, let’s talk about food that you can and should make for new year’s eve! I know we will not be gathering in large groups, so this is a beautiful dish you can serve your small family. Best of all, you can make it ahead of time so the night of your dinner you can relax and have some bubbly as your meal warms up in the oven.
This recipe is very easy, but it looks and tastes like you spent hours preparing it. Let’s start with the meat - get yourself the biggest chunk of boneless beef ribs - mine were 2 1/2” thick. I cut the chunk into 4 pieces for a perfect serving size. After that, you need salsa ingredients, a bit of pure ancho chile powder, Mexican oregano and a lager beer - I like to use Dos Equis.
The hardest thing about this is being patient while browning the beef. Please make sure you give it a ton of colour, as that will give you lots of flavour. Blend the salsa ingredients with the ancho and oregano, and that goes in with the meat after it’s been browned. Cook that salsa for a few minutes and then add the beer. After that, it cooks long and slow… to give that meat the chance to get fall-apart tender while it’s permeated with the flavours in the sauce. I tell you, this is a thing of beauty.
Making this a day or two ahead has its benefits, first of all, you can have a hands-off dinner, but on the practical side, the beef is pretty fatty, and that fat will render out into the sauce. Chilling the sauce will make all that fat solidify at the top so you can easily remove it the next day, and eating it that way is nicer in the end.
All you have to decide is what to serve with this. You can go the traditional way and make some mashed potatoes, or roast some carrots and chayote squash. It can be a simple but elegant dinner.
I hope you have a wonderful intimate celebration with your family and most of all, I wish you a healthy, happy, successful 2022, full of adventures and much love!
Costillas de Res en Salsa de Chile Ancho a la Cerveza
Braised Beef Ribs with Ancho Chile Salsa and Beer
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
850g boneless beef rib, cut into 4 pieces
1 large tomato, chopped (2 1/2 cups)
1/4 white Spanish onion, chopped (2/3 cup)
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp ground ancho chile powder
1 tsp Mexican oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lager beer (I like Dos Equis)
Season meat with salt and pepper. In Dutch oven, over medium high heat, add oil and brown meat on all sides, make sure you give it enough time to get a nice brown colour all over.
Meanwhile, in blender jar place tomato, onion, garlic, ancho powder and Mexican oregano. Blend until completely smooth.
When meat is browned, add blended sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
Turn heat down and let sauce simmer for about 10 minutes. Add beer and stir it in. Bring sauce to a low boil and then simmer, covered, until meat is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Check meat every 15 minutes or so, making sure sauce is not sticking. If liquid evaporates too much, add water, 1/2 cup at a time, to keep the meat braising.
When meat is fall-off-the-bone tender, adjust seasoning on the sauce. If you prefer a thicker sauce, remove meat from pan and reduce sauce to your desired consistency.
Serve with your favourite vegetables.
* If you have a pressure cooker or a slow cooker, you can certainly make this dish in these. In the pressure cooker, it would take about 35 minutes at full pressure. In the slow cooker, it would take 8 hours on low.
Serves 4.