20140809

Beer-Basted Beef Shanks and Argentinian Corn Pudding Recipe

One of the best cookbooks I came across this year was Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way. While it's filled with some awesome and delicious recipes for grilled meats, it was this corn pudding recipe that's really won me over. It's like nothing you've tried before. Warm, comforting, full of fresh flavours and simple. Paired with this recipe for slow-cooked beer-basted beef shanks — you'll have the family running to the dinner table!

Slow cooked Beer-Basted Shanks Ingredients

1 large onion, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

2 celery ribs, sliced

1 Tbsp fresh thyme

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary

1 cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

5 whole black peppercorns

4 1/2 pounds beef shank (approx 4x 1-inch cuts)

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

750 ml beer

1/2 cups beef broth

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Wrap cinnamon stick, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth and tie to secure; set aside.

Sprinkle short ribs with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Add carrots, celery and onion to slow cooker. Add spice packet and Worcestershire sauce. Place shanks on top. Add beer and broth, then top with mustard and brown sugar; cook over low 8-10 hours.

Discard spice packet. Transfer beef to plate. Strain juices through large sieve set over large bowl. Place juices in a pot and boil until liquid is reduced to 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Return shanks to gravy in pot and simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes longer.

Serve beef over corn pudding (recipe below) and top with gravy.

Corn Pudding Ingredients

8 ears of corn (husks removed)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)

1 cup chopped onion

1⁄2 cup whole milk (or milk alternative)

1 cup basil leaves

1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Coarse salt

Grate corn from cobs using a box grater. Then run the back of a knife down each cob to release all the milky liquid from the kernels.

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and sauté 8 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the corn with all its liquid, and sauté, until the mixture thickens. Stir in 1/4 cup of the milk. Once the milk is absorbed, gradually stir in the rest of the milk. Salt as desired.

Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring, until the corn is creamy.

Before serving chop the basil and add it to the corn, along with the crushed red pepper flakes.