For those of you who don't know me, I consider myself a bit of an amateur chef. One day you may see me on Hell's Kitchen 
A friend of mine gave me some bear ribs and made a bet with me I couldn't make anything of them that his girlfriend (a true long-haired hippie) would fine palatable.
Tonight I did. So now I pass on this recipe for all who may follow. Learn the ways of the master-amateur!
Anyway, enough self-deprecating for now!
Here's what you need:
1 bottle of cheap chardonnay
1 can of tomato paste
1/8 cup (2 tbsp) butter
1.5 tbsp sea salt
4 Bear ribs
1/4 cup Celery
1/4 cup Carrots
1/8 cup Shallots
1 tbsp Chives
1 tbsp Mint Leaf
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp MSG
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like)
1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 tbsp of white flour
a dozen or so Portabella Mushrooms
1/8 inch slice per mushroom of Gruyere cheese (You'll want slices the size of your mushroom caps)
a bunch of Cilantro (for garnish)
your favorite hot sauce
Pour 375ml (half) of a bottle of chardonnay into a dutch oven and add 1/8 cup of unsalted butter and 1.5tsp of sea salt. Add about half the can of tomato paste.
The mushrooms... Break the stems out and clean if you wish. Set these aside for now.
Take 4 bear ribs and cut them apart. Place them in the dutch oven until they sit flat on the bottom. Add 1/4 cup of chopped celery - get some leaves and root in there if you can. Add 1/4 cup of chopped carrots - don't peel them, just wash and rub with a SS pot scrubber. Also add 1/8 cup of chopped shallots. Everything should be covered. If it isn't, add water until it is.
The size you chop the veggies doesn't really matter. They're all going to become mush in a minute.
Simmer this covered for 90 minutes at 425 degrees and then uncover. Strain out the solids and allow them to cool on a baking sheet. Put the dutch oven on the stove on high and continue cooking down the liquid until you get it down to 1/2 cup. Whisk often to keep stuff from sticking to the bottom.
Take the cooled ribs and strip off the meat with a paring knife - scrape the bone and get all the gelatin and cartilage.
Add: the mushroom stems, the chopped chives, the chopped mint leaf, paprika, MSG, hot cayenne pepper and cinnamon to a food processor and add in the meat and cooked veggies.
Reduce to a rough paste. You may also do this with a knife but you need a big cutting board and you'll make a mess.
To the cooking liquid add the wheat flour and whisk vigorously until dissolved. (Sometimes it helps to add a tbsp of water to the flour and shake in a bottle to eliminate clumps).
Add your meat/veggie paste back to the cooking liquid and stir just until combined. Try not to get too much air into the mixture. Spoon this into the portabella mushroom caps. Cover with a 1/8 inch slice of a gruyere cheese. Thicker == better If the filling is spilling out, you can use a boning knife to scoop out some mushroom ribs to make room for the bear Or use some extra mushrooms. Feel free to pile them up precariously!
Place the mushroom caps in a 300 degree oven until the cheese starts to bubble. Before they cool, take cilantro leaves (3 or so) and stick them in the cheese for garnish. Add a couple dots of franks red hot or tabasco somewhere on each cap.
Serve these stuffed mushrooms with a slice of rye bread.
A friend of mine gave me some bear ribs and made a bet with me I couldn't make anything of them that his girlfriend (a true long-haired hippie) would fine palatable.
Tonight I did. So now I pass on this recipe for all who may follow. Learn the ways of the master-amateur!
Anyway, enough self-deprecating for now!
Here's what you need:
1 bottle of cheap chardonnay
1 can of tomato paste
1/8 cup (2 tbsp) butter
1.5 tbsp sea salt
4 Bear ribs
1/4 cup Celery
1/4 cup Carrots
1/8 cup Shallots
1 tbsp Chives
1 tbsp Mint Leaf
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp MSG
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like)
1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 tbsp of white flour
a dozen or so Portabella Mushrooms
1/8 inch slice per mushroom of Gruyere cheese (You'll want slices the size of your mushroom caps)
a bunch of Cilantro (for garnish)
your favorite hot sauce
Pour 375ml (half) of a bottle of chardonnay into a dutch oven and add 1/8 cup of unsalted butter and 1.5tsp of sea salt. Add about half the can of tomato paste.
The mushrooms... Break the stems out and clean if you wish. Set these aside for now.
Take 4 bear ribs and cut them apart. Place them in the dutch oven until they sit flat on the bottom. Add 1/4 cup of chopped celery - get some leaves and root in there if you can. Add 1/4 cup of chopped carrots - don't peel them, just wash and rub with a SS pot scrubber. Also add 1/8 cup of chopped shallots. Everything should be covered. If it isn't, add water until it is.
The size you chop the veggies doesn't really matter. They're all going to become mush in a minute.
Simmer this covered for 90 minutes at 425 degrees and then uncover. Strain out the solids and allow them to cool on a baking sheet. Put the dutch oven on the stove on high and continue cooking down the liquid until you get it down to 1/2 cup. Whisk often to keep stuff from sticking to the bottom.
Take the cooled ribs and strip off the meat with a paring knife - scrape the bone and get all the gelatin and cartilage.
Add: the mushroom stems, the chopped chives, the chopped mint leaf, paprika, MSG, hot cayenne pepper and cinnamon to a food processor and add in the meat and cooked veggies.
Reduce to a rough paste. You may also do this with a knife but you need a big cutting board and you'll make a mess.
To the cooking liquid add the wheat flour and whisk vigorously until dissolved. (Sometimes it helps to add a tbsp of water to the flour and shake in a bottle to eliminate clumps).
Add your meat/veggie paste back to the cooking liquid and stir just until combined. Try not to get too much air into the mixture. Spoon this into the portabella mushroom caps. Cover with a 1/8 inch slice of a gruyere cheese. Thicker == better
If the filling is spilling out, you can use a boning knife to scoop out some mushroom ribs to make room for the bear Or use some extra mushrooms. Feel free to pile them up precariously!Place the mushroom caps in a 300 degree oven until the cheese starts to bubble. Before they cool, take cilantro leaves (3 or so) and stick them in the cheese for garnish. Add a couple dots of franks red hot or tabasco somewhere on each cap.
Serve these stuffed mushrooms with a slice of rye bread.
