The Dutch Oven is one of the most versatile cooking utensils you have. It can be used for braising, sauteing, braising and lots of other tasks. It is superb for stews, chili, soups, slow roasting and even making bread.
I have grabbed a few recipes from one of my favorite sites just to give you some ideas for the last of the cooler weather. Hopefully you will try a couple and let me know what you think.
Shoulder with Shallots and White Wine
For this lamb shoulder recipe, the meat cooks for about three hours, the majority of which is spent braising in the oven.
Ingredients
Lamb
- 1 (6- to 7-pound) bone-in lamb shoulder, or 1 (4- to 5-pound) boneless lamb shoulder, tied
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium-size yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 6 large shallots, halved lengthwise
- 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
- 2 large celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 1 large garlic head, halved crosswise
- 1 bunch thyme sprigs
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon wildflower honey
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 (3-inch-long) orange peel strips
Lemon-Oregano Gremolata
- 1/2 cup packed, finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 large garlic clove, grated
Directions
Make the lamb
- Sprinkle lamb evenly with 2 tablespoons salt and black pepper. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, or chill, uncovered, at least 8 hours or overnight. (If lamb chills overnight, let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before cooking.)
- Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in lower third position. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add lamb, fat side down; cook, undisturbed, until deep golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Carefully turn lamb over; cook, turning occasionally, until golden on all sides, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove lamb from Dutch oven. Discard drippings from Dutch oven. Wipe Dutch oven clean.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to Dutch oven; heat over medium. Add onion, shallots, carrot, celery, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften and begin to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add garlic and thyme; cook, stirring often, until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in wine, orange juice, honey, vinegar, and orange peel strips. Nestle lamb, fat side up, on vegetable mixture; bring to a boil over medium. Remove from heat and cover Dutch oven. Transfer to preheated oven and roast until lamb is fork-tender, 2 hours to 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Make the gremolata
- Stir together all gremolata ingredients in a bowl. Let stand 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
- Remove lamb from Dutch oven and transfer to a large serving platter. Tent lamb with aluminum foil; let rest 30 minutes before slicing or shredding meat. Serve with gremolata.
Hints
Pre-salting the lamb — the longer the better, preferably eight hours or overnight — will deepen its flavor as well as increase moisture and tenderness. Afterward, a simple sear then braise renders fork-tender shreds of meat. A spoonful of garlicky gremolata heightens those long-cooked flavors.
To maximize the flavor of your lamb shoulder roast, you’ll definitely want to give it a good sear before braising. It’ll take about a half hour over medium-high heat for the meat to turn deep golden brown on all sides, essentially caramelizing while sealing in the juices. Start by placing your lamb fat side down in the pan; the fat will render as it cooks.
Balsamic and Brown Sugar Short Ribs Fall Right off the Bone
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 8 bone-in beef short ribs (about 4 1/2 pounds)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
- 1 medium-size yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 small fresh cipollini onions (about 10 ounces), trimmed and peeled
- 1 medium celeriac (celery root), peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
- Finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 275°F. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Pat short ribs dry, and sprinkle evenly with black pepper and 2 teaspoons salt. Working in two batches, cook short ribs, flipping occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer browned short ribs to a plate; set aside.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings in Dutch oven; discard. Return Dutch oven to heat over medium, and add yellow onion, sliced garlic, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of Dutch oven to loosen browned bits, until onion is softened and browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in vinegar, onion powder, and garlic powder; cook, stirring often, until liquid has reduced by half, about 1 minute.
- Add broth, brown sugar, and bay leaves to onion mixture; cook over medium, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Nestle browned short ribs, meaty side down, into Dutch oven in a single layer. Pour any accumulated juices on plate over top. Return mixture to a simmer over medium-high.
- Cover Dutch oven, and transfer to preheated oven. Braise for 1 hour. Uncover; add cipollini onions, celeriac, and carrots, taking care to submerge them as much as possible in cooking liquid. Cover and continue braising until vegetables are tender and meat is easily pierced with a paring knife, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Transfer short ribs and vegetables to a serving platter; set aside. Return Dutch oven to stovetop, and bring cooking liquid to a simmer, uncovered, over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium, and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is slightly reduced and flavors have concentrated, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves. Season sauce with additional black pepper and salt to taste. Skim off excess fat from top of sauce using a ladle; discard. (Alternatively, pour sauce through a fat separator into a gravy boat; discard excess fat.) Spoon desired amount of sauce over short ribs. Garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve immediately alongside remaining sauce.
Hints
Look for English-cut beef short ribs, which are thicker than flanken.
Like most braised meat, these short ribs are wonderful when made ahead. They can be prepared through step four up to three days in advance. Let cool completely, and store in your Dutch oven with the braising liquid in the refrigerator. Heat in a 350°F oven until short ribs are warmed through, and proceed with step five as directed.
To peel cipollini onions, bring a medium pot of water to a boil over medium-high. Add onions and cook for 30 seconds. Drain and let cool for 5 minutes. Use a paring knife to trim the stem end and slip off the onion skin.
Short Rib Ragù with Orange-Parsley Gremolata
Ingredients
- 4 large garlic cloves, divided
- 3 pounds 3- to 4-inch meaty bone-in beef short ribs
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- tablespoons canola oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled plum tomatoes with juices
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 cup water
- 10 (6-inch) oregano sprigs
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon habanero hot sauce (such as Siete)
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh juice (from 1 orange), divided
- 1 (16-ounce) package pappardelle pasta
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Using flat side of a chef’s knife, smash 3 of the garlic cloves; set aside. Sprinkle beef evenly with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add beef; cook, turning occasionally, until deeply browned on all sides, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer beef to a plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings in Dutch oven. Add onion and smashed garlic to Dutch oven; cook over medium-high, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juices, crushing tomatoes with your hands as you add them. Add wine, water, oregano, fennel seeds, hot sauce, and allspice; stir to combine. Nestle beef into sauce. Bring to a boil over high. Remove from heat and cover.
- Transfer Dutch oven to preheated oven. Bake until meat is falling off the bone, 2 hours, 30 minutes to 3 hours. Remove from oven. Remove and discard bones and oregano sprigs. Skim fat from surface. Using 2 forks, shred beef in Dutch oven. Stir orange juice into ragù. The ragù can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat before continuing.
- Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. While pasta cooks, finely grate remaining garlic clove. Stir together grated garlic, parsley, and orange zest in a small bowl for the gremolata. Divide cooked pasta evenly among 4 bowls. Top pasta evenly with ragù and gremolata.
Hints
This ragù stands apart from most with the addition of fennel seeds, ground allspice, and habanero hot sauce. Like most great braises, it tastes even better after a day or two in the fridge, making it a great do-ahead dish for entertaining. Be sure to look for meaty short ribs; they can sometimes be skimpy, consisting of mostly bones. The ragù is topped with gremolata for a bright, fresh finish. Traditional gremolata is made with parsley, garlic, and lemon zest, but here the lemon is swapped out with orange zest, a nice match for the fennel and habanero in the ragù.
