COOKING with CANNABIS
Celebrate July with
Balsamic Braised Beef Short Ribs by Chef Dana Cunningham
It ’ s July , and we ’ re seeing some beautiful things happen in the garden this month , so I ’ m excited to tell you about them . The most incredible part about summer is the colors on my plate . I am obsessed with bright-colored food . I love to use edible flowers and decorative leaves . All my edible flowers are growing beautifully . I grow lavender , nasturtium , and pansies , and many of my herbs have beautiful edible flowers as well .
This year , I designed a rain garden and planted it in the middle of my garden space because during the spring , when we were getting heavy downpours , I noticed that the water was not draining out of my garden but standing in deep puddles . I designed my rain garden with the butterflies in mind because I love seeing them fly around in all their magnificent colors . I chose native plants that grow in our area — beautiful flowers like purple coneflower and tickseed . These native plants not only attract beautiful butterflies and beneficial pollinators to my garden , but they also grow very deep root systems . These root systems are much deeper than your normal flowers , so they create channels for excess water to travel and drain throughout the soil . Because our soil in Northern Missouri is mostly clay , these deep root systems help tremendously with water drainage when our soil is extremely impervious .
I chose to plant these plants instead of digging a swale or a drain because I wanted to give nature a chance to correct the problem . This ground was so wet that I found water when digging down just six inches . I could probably grow cattails here , and they would be successful . I ’ ve got to find some and get that started . Cattails are also a Missouri native and edible plant . The flowers I planted are also perennials , so they will come back every year even bigger and better than the previous year . I will now be free to grow my vegetables on either side of the rain garden because those areas will no longer flood .
All summer , the colors in my garden work together to create the color palette of my dinner plates . I am in love with the colors of this short rib dinner recipe . The bright orange butternut squash and the green onions ’ bright green just make it pop , while the short ribs glisten with the golden glaze . It ’ s a real showstopper and super easy . To make it even easier , I cook the squash in the crock pot . I just add a fourth of a cup of water to the bottom of the pot , put the halves in , and set the crock pot to low . It can cook while you are at work and be done when you get home . Anyway , that ’ s enough chatting ; let ’ s get to cooking the balsamic braised beef short ribs and smashed butternut squash .
Short Ribs Ingredients 2 lbs . of short ribs 1 small red onion , quartered 1 tablespoon of ketchup 4 cloves of garlic , minced ½ cup of balsamic vinegar ½ cup of red wine vinegar or red wine
1 tablespoon of brown sugar 2 cups of beef broth , unsalted 1 bay leaf 3 sprigs of fresh thyme 1 ½ tablespoons of infused butter 1 tablespoon of olive oil
The Method 1 . Set the oven to 350 degrees . 2 . Place a large Dutch oven or pan with a lid over medium heat on the stovetop . 3 . Add the olive oil and onion to sweat . 4 . Then add the ketchup and garlic and cook for 30 seconds . Add the balsamic vinegar , red wine vinegar , brown sugar , and beef broth , and allow to come to a simmer .
5 . When the mixture is at a simmer , add short ribs , bay leaf , and thyme . Cover and place in the preheated oven .
6 . Cook for two and a half hours , opening the lid and splashing the liquid over the short ribs every 30 minutes .
7 . Once the ribs are tender and to your desired doneness , pull out the Dutch oven and stir in the room-temperature butter .
Smashed Butternut Squash 1 butternut squash cut in half and seeded ½ tablespoon of olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Chopped green onion to garnish
The Method 1 . Set your oven to 350 degrees . 2 . Place butternut squash halves open-side up on a sheet pan , and drizzle with olive oil . Sprinkle with salt and pepper . 3 . When the oven is ready , place the sheet pan in the oven and roast for an hour . 4 . Once the butternut squash is squishy , remove it from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes . 5 . Scoop the squash out of the skin with a spoon on to the plate and squish it . 6 . Top with chopped green onion and enjoy
Summertime is the best time for serving up some short ribs , and when you toss in some farm-fresh butternut squash , it ’ s the perfect plate for dinner outdoors . Enjoy !
Dana Cunningham is a Kansas City Native trained in French and American cuisine . She owns Infused KC , Kansas City ’ s CBD infusion think tank and focuses her culinary efforts on the farm-to-table concept at her four-acre homestead . She provides cooking classes in Kearney , MO . Follow her on Facebook , @ infusedkcmo or YouTube @ sunsetgrovekearney . Get your CBD at , www . infusedkc . com .
42 July 2024