Recipes

Photography by Eva Kolenko

Braised Beef with Seared Pumpkin

Well-marbled beef makes all the difference and so does braising in the oven, which provides an even, all-around heat. The dish can be made on the stovetop, but you’ll need to keep the flame low and stir often, but that defeats the set-and-forget method.

  • 3 pounds boneless short ribs, sliced into 2- to 3-inch chunks
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil, more if needed
  • 2 cups peeled and cubed (about 2 inches) fresh cooking pumpkin
  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1 cup onion, coarsely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons decarbed cannabis
  • 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • ¾ cup red wine
  • ½ cup red wine vinegar
  • ½ cup beef stock

Preheat oven to 300 F. In a large bowl, season the beef with salt and pepper, then toss with the flour to evenly coat.

In a large Dutch oven, over medium- high heat, add the oil and sear the beef on all sides; transfer to a platter. Add the pumpkin and carrot; transfer to the platter with the beef.

Reduce the heat to medium and saute the onion until translucent, adding more oil if needed. Add the garlic and herbs, including the cannabis. Stir well.

Deglaze the pot with the red wine, scraping up any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, stock, beef and vegetables to the pot.

Cover and cook in the oven until fork tender, about 2½ hours, checking at the 2-hour mark. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Makes 8 servings. See sidebar for dosage.

Recipes by Laurie Wolf, author of numerous books and cookbooks, including “Cooking with Cannabis” (Quarry Books, 2016).