A little over a decade ago, I came to New York and decided to follow my dream of having my own cooking show. I started out which no culinary experience, no mentor, didn’t work in a kitchen, and didn’t go to culinary school. All of the skills, tips, tricks, and techinques I learned over the years I learned on my own through common sense, reading, and tons of trial and error. My goal with Pro Home Cooks is to make your culinary journey as easy as possible so in todays video I am going to tell you the 10 most impactful skills that I wish I would have known back when I was starting out.

These tips like knowing how to properly caramelize, layering your flavors, and dry brining have all made me a much better home cook. I want to share these 10 cooking skills so that you too can be a better home cook. We are breaking down a simple red wine braised short rib dish that I am going to teach you through those 10 cooking skills. So at the end of it you’ll have a wealth of knowledge as well as a tasty home cooked meal to enjoy. Click here to see the video and find what there other cooking skills are!

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of short rib
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• 5 – 6 small ripe tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 -2 dried chilies
• 2 -3 cardamom pods
• 3/4 of a bottle of red wine
• 1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt

Instructions:

1. Heavily salt your short ribs and place in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Once, the dry brine is done pat dry your short ribs and set aside.

2. In a large skillet add enough oil to generously cover the pan and set the heat to medium high. Sear each side of the short ribs until golden brown.

3. Remove the short ribs onto a plate & set aside. Set the heat to medium low and add in all your aromatics (carrots, celery, and onions). Immediately add salt and slowly caramelize your veggies for 20 minutes.

4. While your veggies are caramelizing, head over to your spice drawer and grab your spices ( whole cumin, dried chilies, cardamom pods, and sliced garlic). Add them to a motar and pestle and give them a good grind before adding them into pan with your aromatics. Cook everything together for 5 minutes.

5. Next, add in your diced tomatoes and cook down for 5 minutes as well. After that add in 3/4 of a bottle of red wine and let that cook for another 5 minutes to reduce and cook off the alcohol.

6. Place your short ribs back into the pan and add enough water to cover more than half of the short ribs. See video for reference.

7. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven at 275 f for 3 -4 hours.

8. Once it’s super tender, take it out of the oven, add in some chopped parsley. Serve while hot!

1 Pot Cauliflower Dal

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of dal
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped
• 2 cups of short rib braising liquid (recipe above)
• 1/2 cup of water
  
  

Instructions:

1. Start by soaking your dal in some water for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain out the water and add it to a pot.

2. In the same pot, add in your chopped cauliflower, 2 cups of your short rib braising liquid, and about 1/2 cup of water.

Fluffy Flatbreads

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon of yeast
• 1 cup of water
• 3 cup of flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Oil

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the water and the yeast until it dissolves. Next slowly add in the flour and salt while mixing with a dough whisk to combine. You should be left with a nice and pilable dough.

2. Knead on the counter for 5 minutes and then place in an oiled bowl. Let rest for 1 to 1.5 hours.

3. Once it has risen, take it out of the bowl and shape them into 6-7 circles. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

4. Roll them out into rounds about 1/4 and set them aside. In the meantime, add some oil to a large skillet on medium high heat. Once it is hot add in your flatbreads one at a time. Flip the flat breads after 1 – 2 minutes or when you start to see really large bubbles. Cook the other side for about 1 minutes. Repeat with the rest of your flatbread and keep them warm by wrapping them in a clean dry bowl.

10 Cooking Skills I Wish I Would Have Known

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Ingredients:

Ingredients for Red Wine Braised Short Ribs:

• 2 pounds of short rib
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• 5 – 6 small ripe tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 -2 dried chilies
• 2 -3 cardamom pods
• 3/4 of a bottle of red wine
• 1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt

Ingredients for 1 Pot Cauliflower Dal:

• 1 cup of dal
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped
• 2 cups of short rib braising liquid (recipe above)
• 1/2 cup of water

 

Ingredients for Fluffy Flatbreads:

• 1 teaspoon of yeast
• 1 cup of water
• 3 cup of flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Oil

Instructions:

Instructions for Red Wine Braised Short Ribs:

1. Heavily salt your short ribs and place in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Once, the dry brine is done pat dry your short ribs and set aside.

2. In a large skillet add enough oil to generously cover the pan and set the heat to medium high. Sear each side of the short ribs until golden brown.

3. Remove the short ribs onto a plate & set aside. Set the heat to medium low and add in all your aromatics (carrots, celery, and onions). Immediately add salt and slowly caramelize your veggies for 20 minutes.

4. While your veggies are caramelizing, head over to your spice drawer and grab your spices ( whole cumin, dried chilies, cardamom pods, and sliced garlic). Add them to a motar and pestle and give them a good grind before adding them into pan with your aromatics. Cook everything together for 5 minutes.

5. Next, add in your diced tomatoes and cook down for 5 minutes as well. After that add in 3/4 of a bottle of red wine and let that cook for another 5 minutes to reduce and cook off the alcohol.

6. Place your short ribs back into the pan and add enough water to cover more than half of the short ribs. See video for reference.

7. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven at 275 f for 3 -4 hours.

8. Once it’s super tender, take it out of the oven, add in some chopped parsley. Serve while hot!

Instructions 1 Pot Cauliflower Dal:

1. Start by soaking your dal in some water for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain out the water and add it to a pot.

2. In the same pot, add in your chopped cauliflower, 2 cups of your short rib braising liquid, and about 1/2 cup of water.

Instructions for Fluffy Flatbreads:

1. In a large bowl, combine the water and the yeast until it dissolves. Next slowly add in the flour and salt while mixing with a dough whisk to combine. You should be left with a nice and pilable dough.

2. Knead on the counter for 5 minutes and then place in an oiled bowl. Let rest for 1 to 1.5 hours.

3. Once it has risen, take it out of the bowl and shape them into 6-7 circles. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

4. Roll them out into rounds about 1/4 and set them aside. In the meantime, add some oil to a large skillet on medium high heat. Once it is hot add in your flatbreads one at a time. Flip the flat breads after 1 – 2 minutes or when you start to see really large bubbles. Cook the other side for about 1 minutes. Repeat with the rest of your flatbread and keep them warm by wrapping them in a clean dry bowl.