Braising

Did it go wrong, or what? I was at the local grocer looking for fat beef short ribs to braise in a little crock in the oven. All they had were some long skinny bones with a bite on each rib. No fault of the butcher - you get what you get. No short ribs for me.

Well the weather is ideal for low slow cooking in the oven. I figure putting a pot in a 300 degree oven at noon will be a great way to warm up the house and make cozy smells for my hubby when he gets home.

The butcher enticed me with some aged sirloin. Sirloin is not my favorite cut. I think it may be the only cut deserving of being ground up (in order to make it better!) - I associate sirloin with steak sauce - at it's a good pairing. It's lean, it's easily made tough, and it lacks flavor - the umami that fat brings. But - I bought it and seared it in a skillet. My first clue should have been that I had to add fat to the pan twice. I put the seared cubes in a small lidded pot along with a coarsely cut onion and a rutabaga (Errantly called a turnip in the produce section - Turnips are white fleshed - rutabagas are yellowish). After three hours, I added chopped tomatoes and more seasoning. After another hour or so, I served it as is in bowls.

Dinner's not bad tonight, but tomorrow, I'll likely give it a paprikas treatment and serve it over noodles.