Govind Armstrong's New Year's Eve Goodies

Chef's Fancy Finger Foods Won't Put A Strain On Your Wallet

(CBS) 

Fried Olives Stuffed with Spicy Lamb Sausage
Serves 8

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 onion, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/8 cup sherry vinegar
Salt
1 pound ground lamb
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of ground fennel seed
Pepper to taste

Canola oil, for frying
16 Giant cocktail olives, pimentos removed
1 cup All-purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten with 1 Tablespoon water
1 cup Panko Dustin Mix

In a saucepan over high heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and caramelize for about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until golden brown, making sure it doesn't burn. Deglaze with the sherry vinegar, stirring constantly and working very quickly. You want the vinegar to evaporate but you don't want the pan to be bone dry. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool.

Fill a large bowl with ice, and sprinkle salt on the ice to keep the temperature cool. Place another bowl on top and add the ground lamb, the cooled onion mixture, the cayenne, paprika, cumin and fennel. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and mix well with a spoon.

Heat a small saucepot with 2 inches of canola oil to 350 F.

Split the olives almost all the way lengthwise, and stuff with the spicy lamb sausage. Place the olives quickly in the refrigerator to allow them to set.

Place the flour, egg wash, and panko mix in three small bowls. Roll the olives in the flour, then dip in the egg wash, and finally give them a nice roll in the panko mix. Place the breaded olives in the hot oil and fry about 4 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Drain well on paper towels and serve immediately.

Grilled Cheese with Pulled Short Ribs and Pickled Red Onions
Serves 8

1 Tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil
2 pounds boneless beef short ribs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 carrot, cut into large dice
1/2 celery stalk, cut into large dice
½ onion, cut into large dice
6 medium cloves garlic, cracked
1 cup red wine (such as Cabernet Sauvignon)
3 cups beef broth
2-pound loaf sourdough bread, cut into 16 slices
12 ounces Bel Paese cheese, sliced thin
2 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons pickled red onions
4 teaspoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 teaspoons grapeseed oil

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Beginning with a large saucepan or braising pan with a lid, heat the tablespoon of grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Sear the short ribs on either side until caramelized and golden brown, about five minutes. Remove the meat from the pan.

Add the carrot and celery to the pan and cook for five minutes over the same heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook together until caramelized, about five minutes, stirring occasionally as needed.

Add the short ribs back to the pan and deglaze with the red wine. Stir from time to time, allow the wine to reduce until almost evaporated, about six minutes. Pour in the beef broth and bring the braise up to a boil. Put the lid on and place in the oven for two hours. Stir occasionally.

After the first two hours of cooking time, remove the lid. For the next hour, baste the short ribs every 15 minutes, leaving the lid off. Cook for an additional hour, until very tender, for a total of 4 hours of cooking time.

Pull the short ribs from the oven and allow them to cool in the braising juices for at least a few hours. Carefully transfer the meat to a plate and strain the juices through a fine sieve, then allow the fat to rise. Remove the fat. Using a dinner fork in each hand, lightly shred the meat along the natural grains in a pulling motion from the center outward, and set aside.

To prepare each sandwich, begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

Take two slices of bread. On the bottom slice, place a layer of cheese (you'll want approximately 1 1/2 ounces for each sandwich, just enough to cover the bread to the edges), then top with 1 teaspoon of pickled red onion, spread to the sides. Place one-quarter cup of the pulled short ribs on top, add another layer of cheese, and top with the second slice of bread. Brush each completed sandwich on top and bottom with 1/2 teaspoon butter.

In a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, add 1 teaspoon of the grapeseed oil and allow it to get nice and hot. Place two sandwiches in at a time and flip so they will absorb the oil on both sides. Weight them down with a small sauté pan. After one minute, flip the sandwiches, return the weight, and place directly in the oven. After two minutes, remove the weight. Flip the sandwich one final time, and cook for one final minute. Pull from the oven, slice diagonally, and serve immediately. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.

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