One of the blogs I follow is Ideas in Food, written by Alex Talbot and Aki Kamozawa. They also have a wonderful book by the same name. In early January Alex and Aki posted about using a combination of a prepared red sauce and the pressure cooker to braise short ribs, with both quick and delicious results. This served as inspiration.
Serves 4
- two large chuck eye
- half of a green cabbage
- 7-8 large carrots
- 1 jar Diavolo sauce
- chives
(Optional) The night before dinner, heavily salt two large chuck eye on all sides, and leave to sit in the fridge on a wire rack, over a sheet try. This will give the salt time to penetrate the meat, seasoning it throughout, and slightly dry the exterior, which I’ve found lends to better browning.
If you didn’t do the over-night salting, then heavily salt the chuck eye and leave to sit for 30-45 minutes. Pat dry as thoroughly as possible before proceeding. In your pressure cooker, heat a few Tbsp of a high smoke-point oil (I used peanut), getting it very hot but not smoking. Brown the chuck eye on all sides, being careful not to burn the fond created on the bottom of the pot, and set aside. Remove any excess oil from the pot. Slice half of a green cabbage into quarters, reserving some of the core in each slice, which will help hold the pieces together. Peel and halve crosswise (i.e. transversely) 7-8 large carrots; the larger the better, since thin carrots will turn to mush. Add the cabbage to the pressure cooker, squeezing as many slices as possible into contact with the bottom of the pot, then add the carrots on top. Pour 1 jar of Diavolo sauce into the pressure cooker, and nestle the beef on top of everything, about half-submerged in the sauce. Cover and cook on high for 45 minutes. (If you don’t have a pressure cooker, then use a pot that holds everything snugly, cover and cook in a 350 degree oven for 2-3 hours: you will have to check the meat and core of the cabbage for doneness.) When the time is up, allow the pressure cooker to cool naturally, or if you really can’t wait, cool it quicker by placing under running cold water. Remove the chuck eye and slice or portion into halves.
To plate, add a piece of cabbage and 3-4 carrot pieces to each plate. Top with the braised beef and a spoonful or two of the cooked sauce. Sprinkle with a small handful of chopped chives and maybe some Maldon salt, and enjoy.
Logan's Kitchen 
