Work with What You Got -2/12/09

Anyone who has cooked for awhile has used creative license. Today, when I made the Braised Chile-Spiced Short Ribs with Black Beans on page 30, I used that license. When I was at the Super H Mart, I picked up sliced beef short ribs instead of well... unsliced. I was pretty sure that wouldn't make a huge difference in flavor, only shorten the braising time. I was right. I also didn't find dried ancho chilis at the store. I actually thought I had the powdered ancho chili powder at home but when I got home, I only had chipotle chili powder. Since the recipe already called for canned chipotles, I thought more chipotle powder was unnecessary so I just skipped the ancho chilis altogether. I enjoyed the flavor of the chili braise but it was quite fatty. The high fat content in the ribs sat in my stomach for several hours after eating. I also missed the carmelizing affect that is created when you throw ribs on the grill in the summer. Ribs are a summer grill food!
The short rib recipe called for a side of black beans. That's exactly what they were, black beans. No spices, no added fat like butter or oil, just very pedestrian black beans. I do think I'll combine the leftovers with some mayonaise and salsa and make a yummy bean dip for tortilla chips. Mmmm, now that's a winter food!