"Celeriac: the unsung frog prince of winter vegetables" - NPR

My brain is telling me it is officially Spring. Yet I had to use my scraper this morning to clear snow off my car before taking the boys to school this morning. Yes, I live in New England. "If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes." is said with as much frequency as "wicked awesome" around these parts. So I figured best to embrace these last whimpers of winter with a hearty stew before I start complaining about how hot and humid it is a few minutes later.

Colorful ingredients to brighten up a cold March day

This recipe for short ribs with root veggies come from our new favorite cookbook, Ming Tsai's Simply Ming One-Pot Meals. We've been cooking our way through this cookbook and have found a winning recipe on nearly every page. The extended forecast calls for cold weather through the rest of this month. So why not cook up this stew now 'cause its wicked awesome.




Short Ribs with Root Veggies
Inspired by Simply Ming One-Pot Meals

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
6 single-rib short ribs
3 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
2 onions, cut into 1-inch dice
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 lb carrots, cut into 1-inch rounds
6 celery stalks, split lengthwise and halved
1 celeriac (celery root), peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
1 large sweet potato, 1-inch dice
1 large parsnip, cut into 1-inch rounds
2 tablespoons soy sauce

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large shallow plate, combine the flour and chili powder. Season the ribs with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour mixture.

2. Heat a stockpot or other tall wide pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and swirl to coat the bottom. When the oil is hot, shake the excess flour mixture from ribs, add them to the pot, and cook, turning once, until browned about 8 minutes. Set the ribs aside.


3. Add the remaining oil to the pot, and swirl to coat the bottom. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic and saute, stirring, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, celeriac, potato and parsnip. Season with salt and pepper. Add the ribs, soy sauce and enough water to almost cover the ingredients. Season to taste.

4. Cover and cook over medium heat until a paring knife passes through the meat easily, about 3 hours. Transfer the ribs and vegetables to a large bowl and serve.


The Good: Easy to make, full of nutritious veggies and short-ribs that melt in your mouth.

The Bad: Stew base was on the thin side. Not a quick weeknight meal (3 hours on the stove). Although boys ate some of it, they did not love it.

Grade: B. Will try making this in a crock pot as a weeknight meal.