Staycation at Royal Palms Then its Time for Short Ribs

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine’s weekend! Isabel and I stretched it out and checked into the Royal Palms for a little staycation this weekend.

I love the Royal Palms Hotel– no I did not design it! Architect, Don Zabell of Oz Architects gets that credit and it is well deserved. Definitely one of my favorite and most romantic spots in this town for sure.

We started the weekend with a little impromptu Happy Hour in the courtyard with friends who caught wind and stopped by. We stayed for dinner and closed the place down with Isabel and I relaxing by the outdoor fireplace while I enjoyed a cigar.

Nothing better than a nice quiet weekend to reset the jets. We have really been busy drawing and designing. From beachside villas in LaJolla, to amazing equestrian estancias to luxury senior living condos we are drawing and designing like crazy.

Starting Construction on this Candelaria Design Estate in Silverleaf with Schultz Development

Nonetheless, there is always time to do some cooking! I love to cook because, unlike architecture that sometimes takes years from inspiration to completion, a dinner can achieve the same joy and sense of accomplishment in a matter of hours. I think that is why I love it so much!

This coming weekend Isabel and I along with a couple souz chefs from my Candelaria Team will be preparing our famous paella dinner for one of my clients and her friends at her home I remodeled several years ago! I love making my paella and I’m looking forward to sharing in its preparation. My paella recipe can be found in our past blog - Mister C's Paella

Meanwhile, last week we had several friends over for another of my favorites and I know my Candelaria girls love this dish – Italian Red Wine Short Ribs over Horseradish Mashed Potatoes. Here is the recipe – Enjoy!

Short Ribs bathed in Italian Wine served over Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

In a large cast iron or Dutch oven heat your olive oil until just starting to smoke. Season your short ribs generously with salt and pepper. Only add as many short ribs as you can so they have adequate space to brown. You may have to do them in batches. Brown them all over until they are a nice seared brown 10 – 12 minutes. Remove from the pot and let them rest on a platter and cover with foil.

Pour the excess oil out of the pot and then add the onion, carrot, celery, bay leafs and pancetta and cook everything until the veggies are soft and starting to brown approximately 7-8 minutes. Use a wooden spoon and the onions to deglaze the pan and get all those nice meat remnants loosened off the bottom of the pan and integrated into the veggies.

Now add the red wine – I like to use a good Amarone, Rosso di Montalcino or Vino Nobile form Italy of course! Once the wine is in add your homemade tomato sauce and bring the whole mixture to a boil.

Finally, add the meat back in and let it soak in the flavor. Bring everything to a boil and then turn the heat down to simmer and cook the meat 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours until the meat is fork tender.

From here there are two way to go, you can remove the meat and then serve the veggie / stew as is, or you can bring the liquid to a boil and reduce the liquid down and thicken it as you see fit. Season with salt and pepper, and then serve over the top of the Horseradish mashed potatoes and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

For the Horseradish Mashed Potatoes take 4 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes and peel them. Please them in cold water along with two bay leaves and let them set until your short ribs are just about ready. Boil for over medium-high heat and cook the potatoes until they are for tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and drain the water from the potatoes, reserving 2 tablespoons of cooking water. Smash the potatoes in a large bowl along with the sour cream, butter and horseradish. Season well with salt and pepper.

Buon appetito…

Italian Wine Short Ribs

6 servings

3 lbs of boneless or bone in short ribs

6-8 tablespoons of olive oil

salt and ground pepper

3 large Spanish onions cut into ½” dice

4 medium carrots cut into ½” think slices

3 ribs of celery cut into ½” thick slices,

4 ounces of pancetta diced

3 cups of Italian red wine

3 cups of tomato sauce

2 bay leaves

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

4 lbs of Yukon Gold potoatoes

2 bay leaves

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups of sour cream

2 tablespoons of remaining cooking water

1 stick of unsalted butter

3 tablespoons of horseradish

Italian parsley cut for garnish.