Rhubarb Braised Beef with Rhubarb Kimchi
By Beth Jones
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons sunflower oil
2 pounds beef chuck roast, or stew meat
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion, julienned
1 cup dry Reisling
5 long stalks rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 quart homemade chicken stock
2 star anise
2 cardamom pods
1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and julienned
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ cup maple syrup
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the chuck roast or stew meat and season lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan, otherwise the meat will steam. You may need to sear in batches. When all the meat is evenly brown, remove it from the pan, add a few drops of oil if necessary, and brown the onion. Deglaze the pan with the Riesling and chicken stock, scraping up all the delicious brown bits at the bottom.
At this point you can either add all the ingredients back into the Dutch oven, or if you prefer, put everything into a crock pot. If using the Dutch oven, bring everything to a simmer over low heat, and cook until the meat pulls apart easily with just a fork. This will take anywhere from 2-4 hours, depending on the size of your roast, or stew pieces. In the crock pot this will likely take 8 hours on low, or 5 hours on high. Just keep checking the tenderness of the meat. You can always cook it longer!
When the meat is tender, remove it from the pot. Heat the remaining liquid over medium heat until reduced and slightly thickened. It may be quite tart at this point, so season sparingly with salt, pepper and maple syrup. Shred the meat and return to the pot stirring with the liquid.
Quick Rhubarb Kimchi
3 Tablespoons hot pepper powder, both Korean and Aleppo will work well
1 1-inch piece ginger
4 stems green garlic
1 teaspoon honey
3 Tablespoons anise seed
3 cups rhubarb, thinly sliced
1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon sea salt
Juice and zest of one orange
Make a rough paste with the pepper powder, ginger, green garlic, honey and anise seed. This can either be done using a mortar and pestle, or in the bowl of a small food processor.
In a medium bowl, massage the salt and orange zest into the rhubarb and onions. Add the orange juice and pepper paste and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into Mason jars, and allow to sit at room temperature for several hours before using. Keep the jars on a cookie sheet to catch any liquids that may rise and flow out of the jars. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
