can someone tell the california weather that it is almost november. november is next week. NEXT WEEK. and the last time i walked outside it was 104 degrees f. i could dry herbs in the oven at that temp.

but we have loads of catering gigs coming up in the next few weeks and you know what is on the menu? fall food. you know what fall food requires? the oven and the stove. keep in mind there is no central air in our small galley kitchen. 

stifling heat or no stifling heat, high up on the list of popular menu items is this pinot braised short rib dish. because it cooks to completely melt apart tenderness, it is a great option to serve in whole pieces over mashed potatoes or polenta OR break it up like a shredded meat and serve it like a ragu with your favorite pasta. not only is this dish easy enough for anyone to do and requires only one pot, it is delicious and can be fancy enough to serve for a holiday dinner party or homey enough to be served for a cozy weeknight meal. 

pinot braised short ribs
serves: 6
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 50 minutes
inactive time: 2.5 hours
total time: 3.5 hours
ingredients: 2.5 lbs short ribs, cut into 2 inch pieces. (3.5-4lbs if you are using bone in short ribs). 4 tbs olive oil. 1 large brown onion, diced. 2 carrots, peeled and diced. 3 celery stalks, trimmed and diced. 2 tbs minced garlic. 1 tbs tomato paste. 3 tbs all purpose flour. 3 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and roughly chopped. 1 tbs chopped fresh rosemary leaves. 1 tsp fresh chopped oregano. 2 dried bay leaves. 2 cups pinot noir (or your favorite red wine). 4 cups beef stock. 1 tbs salt. 1 tsp fresh ground pepper. pasta, polenta or mashed potatoes for serving. 

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. in a large heavy, oven safe pot with a lid, heat half the olive oil over medium high heat. when the oil is hot, season your beef pieces with half the salt and pepper and add some of the beef to the pan. make sure you only add enough to the pan so that each piece has about half an inch of space around it so the pan does not become crowded. too much moisture is created when the pan is crowded and your beef will not brown nicely. brown the beef on each side but do not cook it all the way through. once each piece is browned on each side, remove it to a platter or plate and set it aside. continue cooking the beef until you have browned it all. 10-15 minutes. set the beef aside. 

in the same pot, add the onion, carrot, celery, and half the remaining salt and pepper to the pan and cook until the onions become translucent. about 8-10 minutes. 

add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. about 1 minute. 

mix in the tomato paste and the flour until everything is smooth and has a red tint. 

add red wine and bring the liquid to a boil. 

add in the meat and any juices. reduce the wine until half the liquid is gone. about 20 minutes. 

pour in the beef stock, add in the fresh herbs, cover and cook in the oven for 2.5 hours. 

when you pull the pot out of the oven, all the veggies will be completely tender and the beef will melt in your mouth. serve in whole pieces over polenta or mashed potatoes. serve shredded in a further reduced sauce (an extra 20 minutes on the stove to reduce the liquid further) for a ragu style meat sauce to serve over pasta. 

xo, a

pinot braised short ribs
serves: 6
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 50 minutes
inactive time: 2.5 hours
total time: 3.5 hours
ingredients: 2.5 lbs short ribs, cut into 2 inch pieces. (3.5-4lbs if you are using bone in short ribs). 4 tbs olive oil. 1 large brown onion, diced. 2 carrots, peeled and diced. 3 celery stalks, trimmed and diced. 2 tbs minced garlic. 1 tbs tomato paste. 3 tbs all purpose flour. 3 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and roughly chopped. 1 tbs chopped fresh rosemary leaves. 1 tsp fresh chopped oregano. 2 dried bay leaves. 2 cups pinot noir (or your favorite red wine). 4 cups beef stock. 1 tbs salt. 1 tsp fresh ground pepper. pasta, polenta or mashed potatoes for serving. start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. in a large heavy, oven safe pot with a lid, heat half the olive oil over medium high heat. when the oil is hot, season your beef pieces with half the salt and pepper and add some of the beef to the pan. make sure you only add enough to the pan so that each piece has about half an inch of space around it so the pan does not become crowded. too much moisture is created when the pan is crowded and your beef will not brown nicely. brown the beef on each side but do not cook it all the way through. once each piece is browned on each side, remove it to a platter or plate and set it aside. continue cooking the beef until you have browned it all. 10-15 minutes. set the beef aside. in the same pot, add the onion, carrot, celery, and half the remaining salt and pepper to the pan and cook until the onions become translucent. about 8-10 minutes. add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. about 1 minute. mix in the tomato paste and the flour until everything is smooth and has a red tint. add in the red wine and bring the liquid to a boil. add in the meat and any juices. reduce the wine until half the liquid is gone. about 20 minutes. pour in the beef stock, add in the fresh herbs, cover and cook in the oven for 2.5 hours.  when you pull the pot out of the oven, all the veggies will be completely tender and the beef will melt in your mouth. serve in whole pieces over polenta or mashed potatoes. serve shredded in a further reduced sauce (an extra 20 minutes on the stove to reduce the liquid further) for a ragu style meat sauce to serve over pasta. 

my thirty first birthday is this thursday and it has me feeling particularly reflective. as the new year approaches, in between fruit platter deliveries and baking a dozen cakes, i've been taking stock of where i'm at in my life and preparing mentally for where i want to go. and i've come to a great conclusion. i'm content. sure, i have a long way to go till i've accomplished all my dreams, but my life is beautiful and i have so much to be grateful for. i changed my entire life and somehow managed to land on my feet. 

last year was such an emotional roller coaster. starting two new career paths was physically and mentally challenging. as i look back, starting a catering business and teaching again at the exact same time was a bit aggressive. but hey, i've always been a bit aggressive. but now, things are feeling very settled. comfortable. i'm living the life i dreamt of living and it feels even better than i thought it would.

one of the best moments i've had over the last few weeks was a trip to my friends jackie & scott's home where they have a fantastic organic garden growing. we spent the twilight hours talking about organic gardening, the process of how we grow and look at food as a society and the struggles and triumphs of growing your own. i came home with baskets of the most beautiful lemons, beets, sage, oregano, cilantro, basil, jalapeno, red & romaine lettuce, chives, green onions and radish. i can't wait to see what their spring and summer harvests bring. 

in the mean time, i'm working my way through my stockpile of fresh produce. after weeks of consistent catering and delivery, i have a lot of odds and ends i need to use up before they go bad. i'm always looking for things i can make and keep on hand for a few days. and i love soup no matter the season. with all the fresh herbs i have in my arsenal now, i knew a delicious veggie soup was the way to go. you can always doctor this soup up with what you have on hand. and if you needed to make it a bit hardier, you could always add some chopped up chicken or turkey or even some noodles. 

kitchen sink veggie soup
serves: 6-8
prep time: 15 minutes
active time: 40 minutes
total time: 55 minutes
ingredients: 1 brown onion, diced into .25 inch pieces. 2 carrots, diced into .25 inch pieces. 2 celery stalks, diced into .25 inch pieces. 2 tbs olive oil. 2 cups potatoes, diced into .5 inch pieces (i used small boiling potatoes but you can use what you have on hand, smaller potatoes work great). 1 cup chopped beet greens or chard (swiss or rainbow). 1 cup tomatoes, diced .5 inch pieces. 3 garlic cloves minced. 2 green onions, finely chopped. 1 tbs fresh sage, finely chopped (1 tsp dried sage if you don't have fresh). .5 tbs oregano, finely chopped (.5 tsp dried oregano if you don't have fresh). .5 tbs thyme, finely chopped (.5 tsp dried thyme if you don't have fresh). .5 cup dry white wine. 6 cups good quality chicken stock (you could easily make this vegan by using veggie stock). 1 tbs kosher salt. .5 tbs freshly ground black pepper. 

start by combining your carrot, celery and onion in a large pot over medium heat. 

drizzle your veggies with your olive oil and season with a few pinches of your salt and a pinch of pepper. 

cook until the onions are translucent. about 7-10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes. 

add in your tomato, green onion and garlic. season with another couple pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper. cook until the garlic is fragrant. about 1-2 minutes. 

add in the potatoes, herbs and greens. season with another couple pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper. stir well to combine.

pour in the wine and cook until the liquid has reduced by half and the alcohol has burnt off. about 5-7 minutes. 

pour in the chicken stock and season with the remaining salt and pepper. bring the soup to a boil. once the liquid boils, reduce it to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender. about 15-20 minutes.

serve hot, or cool completely and store in the fridge for 3-5 days.

xo, a

kitchen sink veggie soup
serves: 6-8
prep time: 15 minutes
active time: 40 minutes
total time: 55 minutes
ingredients: 1 brown onion, diced into .25 inch pieces. 2 carrots, diced into .25 inch pieces. 2 celery stalks, diced into .25 inch pieces. 2 tbs olive oil. 2 cups potatoes, diced into .5 inch pieces (i used small boiling potatoes but you can use what you have on hand, smaller potatoes work great). 1 cup chopped beet greens or chard (swiss or rainbow). 1 cup tomatoes, diced .5 inch pieces. 3 garlic cloves minced. 2 green onions, finely chopped. 1 tbs fresh sage, finely chopped (1 tsp dried sage if you don't have fresh). .5 tbs oregano, finely chopped (.5 tsp dried oregano if you don't have fresh). .5 tbs thyme, finely chopped (.5 tsp dried thyme if you don't have fresh). .5 cup dry white wine. 6 cups good quality chicken stock (you could easily make this vegan by using veggie stock). 1 tbs kosher salt. .5 tbs freshly ground black pepper.
start by combining your carrot, celery and onion in a large pot over medium heat. drizzle your veggies with your olive oil and season with a few pinches of your salt and a pinch of pepper. cook until the onions are translucent. about 7-10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes. add in your tomato, green onion and garlic. season with another couple pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper. cook until the garlic is fragrant. about 1-2 minutes. add in the potatoes, herbs and greens. season with another couple pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper. stir well to combine. pour in the wine and cook until the liquid has reduced by half and the alcohol has burnt off. about 5-7 minutes. pour in the chicken stock and season with the remaining salt and pepper. bring the soup to a boil. once the liquid boils, reduce it to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender. about 15-20 minutes. serve hot, or cool completely and store in the fridge for 3-5 days.