Chef Melba shows Sherri how to make soul food so good you’ll get “The Itis” 🤣 .
Melba’s “Momma’s Potato Salad”
INGREDIENTS
3lbs Potatoes (Peeled and cubed)
6 Eggs
½ cup Diced Onion
1/3 cup B&B Pickles Diced or Sweet Relish
1/3 cup diced celery
1 ¼ cup Mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard
1 tbs paprika
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Start by scrubbing and peeling 3 pounds of potatoes. Cube them, add to cold water and boil until tender enough to pierce with a fork, but not mushy. Drain well once they are done.
At the same time, hard boil 6 eggs and then peel them once they’re done. Chop the eggs in preparation for the salad.
While the potatoes are boiling, dice your onion and B&B pickles.
Combine the drained potatoes, chopped eggs, diced onion, diced pickles, and salt with the mayonnaise and mustard until creamy. Add more mustard, mayo and even pickles to taste.
Make sure your tasting spoons are lined up and at the ready. You will want to have them for your own taste tests!
Once you’ve completed your potato salad, you can either serve right away or refrigerate to serve later.
MUY FRUITY SANGRIA
Like to marinate the orange slices, lemon slices, and blueberries in the rum before using them to garnish the sangria.
MAKES TWO (2) 16- OUNCE DRINKS
3 ounces apricot brandy
2 ounces peach nectar (I like Looza brand)
2 ounces mango nectar (Looza again for me)
1 ounce spiced rum (such as Myers’s or Captain Morgan)*
16 ounces red wine (preferably merlot)
Ice cubes
Orange slices, for garnish
Lemon slices, for garnish
Fresh Blueberries, for garnish
*If you don’t have spiced rum, just use any dark rum.
Combine the brandy, juices, and rum in a large pitcher. Stir in the wine and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Fill two 16-ounce glasses with ice, pour sangria over the ice, and garnish with the fruit.
WINE-BRAISED SHORT RIBS OF BEEF
Short ribs, to me, are the filet mignons of comfort food and great for wowing guests. This is my mom’s recipe, and we would eat it on special occasions like holidays and birthdays. These ribs are stick-to-your bones good, something I think of eating when it’s really cold out and I’m craving a truly hearty meal. My mom has always been big on marinating red meat. She hated the idea of biting into a nice cut of beef only to discover that–whoa- it had absolutely no taste, and she believed that marinating was the way to ensure flavor.
If you want a quick fix, this is not the recipe for you. This one is a labor of love; you have to take your time and cook it slow and long. When I cook these at home, I braise them for a good three and a half hours. I suggest you pour yourself a glass of the same red wine you use in the recipe, put on some nice music, and relax. It’s all about the seduction of spices and
enjoying the dream. Our criterion at Melba’s is that nobody should have to use a knife; the meat should just fall off the bone. That extra hour of slow cooking really pays off.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS.
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves,
from 1 large or 2 medium sprigs
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme leaves, from 3 or 4 sprigs
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 to 16 short ribs of beef (about 4½ pounds)*
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or more as needed
1 (750-ml) bottle dry red wine
4 cups beef or chicken stock
2 bay leaves
Water, as needed
* Short ribs are usually three or four to the pound, and one pound, which includes the bones, will cook down to serve only one hungry
diner, with some leftovers (if you’re lucky).
1. Combine the rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large resealable bag. Add the ribs, and shake the bag well to ensure that all the ribs are coated with the mixture. Refrigerate for at least several hours and preferably overnight.
2. When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
4. Place the oil in a large, heavy, ovenproof skillet with a lid or a Dutch oven over
Medium heat. (It should be large enough to eventually hold all the ribs in one laver)
When the oil is hot but not smoking, brush off most, but not all, of the rub and place the ribs in the pan with at least 1/2 inch separating them. Brown on all sides, about 7minutes per side. If working in batches, simply set aside the browned batch and add up to 1 tablespoon more oil to the pan if needed.
4. Once all the ribs are browned, deglaze the pan with about 1/4 cup of the wine,
scraping with a wooden spoon to dislodge any brown bits on the bottom. Place the rib back in the pan in a single layer and add the rest of the wine, the beef or chicken stock, the bay leaves, and enough water (if necessary) to just cover the ribs. Raise the heat, bring the liquid to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer, cover the pan, and cook on top of the stove for about 30 minutes.
5. Transfer the entire pan, covered, to the oven and cook for 2 to 2½ hours (up to 3.5 hours if you are still enjoying that “glass” of wine like me), until the meat easily falls off the bones. Remove from the oven and, using a large spoon or ladle, skim as much grease from the top of the liquid as possible. Discard the bay leaves. Transfer the ribs to a serving platter, bring the liquid in the pan to a boil over high heat, and reduce the liquid to your desired thickness to use as a sauce.
