Time to winterize your menu
MIO offers soul-warming recipes that use local products
A fully realized winter has us reaching for coats, coffee and comfort food, inspiring a spate of classic recipes from the Made in Oklahoma Coalition for January.
Korean Short Ribs offer intense flavors thanks to the marriage of marinade made of sesame oil, fresh garlic and ginger and dried red pepper flakes to go along with Oklahoma beef ribs.
A short stack of these ribs goes along way thanks to the rich sauce; served over rice or mashed potatoes it’s a complete meal.
As Mardi Gras approaches, now is a time to dust off those gumbo-making skills. The MIO’s version is made in a Dutch oven, then topped with corn muffin dumplings baked right on top so there’s a bit of gumbo and dumpling in each bite.
This time of year, we all need a reliable chicken soup for medicinal reasons. The MIO’s rendition is the picture of nourishment and healing with plenty of fresh vegetables and healthy quinoa for a layer of texture.
January is always a time for heartsmart meals, so the MIO reached into its bag of tricks to make a simple fruit and yogurt bowl into a beautiful breakfast by caramelizing local honey and fruit over Amelia yogurt and Wholee Granolee granola.
As we prepare for the decadence of February (Valentine’s Day, Super Bowl, Chinese New Year), eat smart, stay warm and buy local.
Korean Short Ribs
¾ cup Daddy Hinkle’s Liquid Meat Marinade
1/3 cup Cheatwood’s Honey 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves) 1 tablespoons minced ginger 1 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 4 to 5 pounds flanken beef short ribs, ½to 1-inch thick Peach Crest Farms
1 bunch Scissortail Farms chives, sliced for garnish
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Preheat oven to 300 F. Make marinade by whisking together Daddy Hinkle’s marinade, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds and red pepper flakes.
Heat Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In small batches, brown the short ribs, just a few at atime to not crowd the pan. Reduce the heat, and layer the short ribs in the Dutch oven, alternating them with the marinade mixture. When you start to see bubbling, simmer, cover and place in the oven for 45 minutes.
Once cooked, remove the ribs and arrange on a serving dish. Garnish with sesame seeds and chives. Reduce the remaining sauce, and remove any fat from the surface. Serve with the sauce on the side or drench the ribs just before serving.
Chicken Gumbo with Corn Dumplings
1 tablespoon canola oil
¾ pound fresh chicken tenders, cubed 1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup diced bell pepper
½ cup diced celery
½ pound Bar-S cooked kielbasa or Polish sausage, halved and cut into ¼-inch slices 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14-½ ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
4 cup chicken broth
¼ cup Suan’s Tomato Jam 1 ½ teaspoons Daddy Hinkle’s seasoning ½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
½ cup long grain rice
1 package Shawnee Mills corn muffin mix 1 package Scissortail Farms chives, thinly sliced
1 egg
¼ cup Dairy Pure milk
2 teaspoons file powder
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a medium Dutch oven, saute the cubed chicken breast strips in canola oil for 2 minutes. Stir in the onion, peppers and celery, continuing to saute until crisp-tender. Add the sausage; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until sausage begins to brown. Add garlic, tomatoes, broth, tomato jam, seasonings and hot pepper sauce. Bring to an even simmer. Stir in the rice and allow this to simmer, covered, for an additional 15 minutes.
While the gumbo simmers, prepare the corn muffin mix in a small mixing bowl by adding the chives to the dry mixture, then adding the egg and milk. Just mix until it’s fully incorporated.
To the simmering gumbo, add the file powder 1 teaspoon at a time, stirring well each time.
Using two large spoons, add the corn muffin batter, forming dumplings over the bubbling mixture. Place in the oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the batter is nice and brown.