Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (59 page)

After stumbling home in the too-bright morning sunshine from another graveyard shift at the hospital, I just want to spend time with my little guys and then face-plant into my pillow. Prepping for dinner is the last thing on my mind. Fortunately, I can quickly toss some ingredients into my slow cooker and pass out, confident that I’ll wake up to the smell of a simmering pot of slow-cooked, Asian-spiced short ribs.

This recipe was inspired by the smarty-pants over at America’s Test Kitchen, who—in the course of making a similar dish—found that searing the meat in advance isn’t strictly necessary. The flavors will develop and intensify on their own in the slow cooker, so if you’re short on time, skip the browning and just throw everything into your slow cooker.

1. A
   rrange an oven rack
   4
   to
   6
   inches from the heating element, and preheat the broiler.
   
2. G
   enerously season the short ribs with salt and pepper, and lay the ribs bone-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil the ribs for
   5
   minutes, and then flip and broil for an additional
   5
   minutes or until browned on both sides.
   
3. S
   tack the ribs in a single layer in the slow cooker. You may need to lay them on their sides to fit ’em all in.
   
4. T
   oss the pear, coconut aminos, garlic, scallions, ginger, fish sauce, and vinegar in a blender and purée until smooth. Pour the sauce evenly over the ribs, and add the broth to the pot. Cover the slow cooker and set it to low. Cook the ribs for
   9
   to
   11
   hours.
   
5. W
   hen you’re ready to eat, transfer the meat from the slow cooker to a serving platter. After
   5
   minutes, you can ladle the fat off the surface of the braising liquid if you wish. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, and pour a cup of the sauce over the ribs. Garnish with cilantro and serve the remaining sauce on the side.
   

Y
ou may want to make this dish ahead of time and store it in your fridge. During the cooking process, the short ribs will release a ton of fat into the gravy, which you can easily remove when the chilled fat hardens.

Persian in origin,
kabob koobideh
was originally prepared by using a wooden mallet to hammer seasoned meat on a flat stone and cooking it on skewers. Modern versions are a tad less smash-tastic, but just as juicy, tender, and delicious. If you’ve got some ground beef or lamb in the fridge, these meat sticks are a fantastic change of pace. Just be sure to thoroughly knead the mixture of meat and finely minced onions, and use flat metal skewers (at least ⅜ inch wide) so these delicate kabobs will hold together and cook evenly.

1. P
   urée the onions in a blender until it resembles an onion slushy. Spoon the onions into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl to drain off the liquid. Reserve the liquid in a bowl.
   
2. A
   dd the beef, drained onions, salt, and several grinds of pepper to the work bowl of a large food processor fitted with a chopping blade. Pulse until the ingredients are well incorporated.
   
3. T
   ransfer the meat to a large bowl and mix in the egg. Squeeze the mixture between your fingers and knead until the texture is tacky. Refrigerate the meat for at least
   4
   hours and up to
   12
   hours.
   
4. W
   hen you’re ready to cook the kabobs, preheat your grill to high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
   
5. D
   ivide the meat into
   6
   portions. Wetting your hands with the reserved onion water or tap water will keep the raw meat from sticking to your hands. Grab a portion of meat and wrap it around the skewer. Squeeze the meat around the skewer to form a long tube. “Scissor” the meat with your fingers to form rippled bite-size segments.
   
6. L
   ay the finished kabobs on the baking sheet. With the ends of the skewers resting on the rims of the baking sheet, the meat should stay suspended. You can cover and refrigerate the kabobs ahead of time until you’re ready to cook.
   
7. P
   lace two (or more) bricks on the grill so that you can suspend the kabobs between them. Don’t rest the meat directly on the grates; otherwise, it’ll stick, and you’ll be sad.
   Waaah.
   
8. F
   lip the kabobs every couple of minutes to ensure even cooking. Be careful not to cook them too long on one side, or the kabobs may sag, split, and fall. (Which, once again, will make you want to weep.) The kabobs’ll be done cooking in
   8
   to
   10
   minutes, depending on the heat of the grill.
   
9. C
   arefully slide the kabobs off the skewers and dust with sumac (if desired) before serving. By the way,
   kabob koobideh
   pairs wonderfully with
   Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
   ,
   Caramelized Onions
   , and
   Easy Cauliflower “Rice”
   .