Wild Rice, Cranberry and Pecan Dressing

Don’t eat the same old side dishes. Give your rice a rich, hardy texture by adding pecans and cranberries!

Ingredients

12 beef short ribs

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup olive oil

4 shallots, roughly chopped

6 cups beef stock

3 ¼ cups dry, red wine

Spicy Almond Yogurt Sauce (recipe follows)

Almond Couscous (recipe follows)

ALMOND COUSCOUS:

½ cup slivered almonds

4 cups vegetable stock

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups Israeli couscous or standard couscous

1 teaspoon dried ginger

½ cup chopped dates (or dried fruit of choice)

SPICY ALMOND YOGURT SAUCE:

1½ cups Greek nonfat yogurt

1 lime, juiced

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

½ cup whole blanched almonds, toasted (include toasted instructions)

1 clove garlic

¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 teaspoons garam masala*

2½ teaspoons paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F. Season ribs with salt and pepper.
In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Sear ribs, working in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding the pot.
Remove ribs and set aside, lower heat to medium and sauté shallots in remaining oil until fragrant. Deglaze with wine. Simmer until reduced by ¾ (approximately 15 minutes).
Place ribs back in the pan, cover with stock, and bring mixture to a boil. Cover with tin foil and place in the oven. Allow ribs to braise for 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes, until fork tender.
Place the Dutch oven back on the stove, remove ribs from the pot and set ribs aside. Place the pot over medium heat, uncovered and allow liquid to reduce by ¾ (approximately 30-45 minutes).
Once the sauce has thickened, place ribs back in just long enough to warm, coat with sauce and serve over couscous, topped with Spicy Almond Yogurt Sauce.

ALMOND COUSCOUS:

Place almonds in a single layer in a dry skillet, and turn heat to medium. Toast for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Bring vegetable stock to a boil. Meanwhile, in a separate large saucepan, heat olive oil. Sauté couscous over medium heat until lightly browned (about 5 minutes).
Slowly add boiling stock to couscous and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer until liquid is absorbed (about 10-20 minutes). Once cooked, stir in ginger, almonds and dates.

SPICY ALMOND YOGURT SAUCE:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed until smooth. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Garam masala is a blend of ground Indian spices and can be found in the spice aisle of most supermarkets.

Based on 6 servings.

Per serving:

* Total Alpha-Tocopherol Equivalents

Per serving: (Couscous)

* Total Alpha-Tocopherol Equivalents