Ribs from one of America's finest chefs

By the time you read this column, my staff and I will be deep into our preparation for our very special dinner on the biggest stage in the culinary world at the James Beard Foundation in New York. We will be carrying the banner for Carson City and Northern Nevada proudly.

One of the inspirations for us to do this dinner in New York was from one of New York's - and America's - finest chefs, Daniel Boulud. I thought it would be fitting to feature one of Daniel's favorite fall recipes. So we contacted Chef Boulud and asked for one of them. The recipe he sent is for Short Ribs and a Celery Duo.

Karen and I made this at home, and found it to be mouth-watering. We're sure you will find it the same.

While in New York we will be in almost daily contact with the Nevada Appeal to keep them abreast of the goings on there. It's our first trip to New York, and there's a lot to take in, not to mention the time it will take to prepare our seven course meal for the guests at the James Beard House.

While enjoying this meal from Daniel Boulud, I suggest serving a nice cabernet sauvignon or a brawny syrah. My recommendation for a cabernet is Mayo Winery, Sonoma County, and the syrah is Young's from Shenandoah Valley, Amador County.

You can pick these wines up at either Aloha Liquor and Wine or Ben's Liquor. But if they don't have them, don't be bashful. Ask them to recommend another wine comparable to those I have suggested.

As always enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine

From "Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook," Daniel Boulud and Dorie Greenspan, Scribner, Nov. 1999

• 3 bottles dry red wine

• 8 short ribs, trimmed of excess fat

• 2 T. vegetable oil

• Salt

• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

• Flour for dredging

• 10 cloves garlic, peeled

• 8 large shallots, peeled, trimmed and split

• 2 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths

• 2 stalks celery, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths

• 1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, trimmed, coarsely chopped, washed and dried

• 6 sprigs parsley

• 2 sprigs thyme

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 T. tomato paste

• 3 quarts unsalted beef stock or store-bought, low-sodium beef broth

• Freshly ground white pepper

Pour the wine into a large saucepan; set over medium heat. When the wine is hot, carefully set it aflame. Let the flames die out, then increase the heat so that the wine boils; allow it to boil until it cooks down by half. Remove from the heat.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Warm the oil in a Dutch oven or large casserole over medium-high heat. Season the ribs all over with salt and crushed pepper. Dust half the ribs with about 1 tablespoon flour then, when the oil is hot, slip the ribs into the pot and sear 4 to 5 minutes on a side, until well browned.

Transfer the browned ribs to a plate, dust the remaining ribs with flour, and sear in the same manner. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot, lower the heat under the pot to medium, and toss in the vegetables and herbs. Brown the vegetables lightly, for 5 to 7 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to blend.

Add the reduced wine, browned ribs and stock to the pot. Bring to the boil, cover the pot closely, and slide it into the oven to braise 21Ú2 hours, or until the ribs are tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork.

Every 30 minutes or so, lift the lid and skim and discard whatever fat may have bubbled up to the surface. (Not only can you make this a day in advance, it's best to make the recipe up to this point, cool, and chill the ribs and stock in the pan and, on the next day, scrape off the fat. Rewarm before continuing.)

Carefully (the tender meat falls apart easily) transfer the meat to a heated serving platter with raised rims and keep warm. Boil the pan liquids until they thicken and reduce to approximately 1 quart.

Season with salt and pepper and pass through a fine-mesh strainer; discard the solids. (The ribs and sauce can be made a few days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Reheat gently, basting frequently on top of the stove or in a 350-degree oven.)

To serve, pour the sauce over the meat. If you've made the Celery Duo, serve it on the same platter - the celery root purée can go under the ribs, the braised celery over them. Makes 8 servings

Celery Duo

"Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook," Daniel Boulud and Dorie Greenspan, Scribner, November 1999

The celery root:

• 1 quart whole milk

• 2 T. coarse salt

• 2 pounds celery root, peeled and cut into 8 pieces

• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut in half

• 8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 8 pieces

• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Put the milk, 4 cups water, the coarse salt, celery root and potatoes in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and cook at a simmer until the vegetables can be easily pierced with the point of a knife, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the vegetables and return them to the pan.

Put the pot back over low heat and toss the vegetables around in the pot just enough to cook off their excess moisture. Transfer the vegetables to the work bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and process - taking care not to overwork the mixture - just until the purée is smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.

Keep the purée warm in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. (The purée can be made up to 6 hours ahead. Cool it, cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the purée, and refrigerate. When you're ready to serve, rewarm it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water.)

The celery:

• 2 bunches celery

• 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 carrot, peeled, trimmed and quartered

• 1 turnip, peeled, trimmed and quartered

• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

• 21Ú2 cups homemade unsalted chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth

Trim the bottom of each head of celery - but make certain the stalks remain together - then, measure 4 to 5 inches up from the bottom and cut the celery top off at that point (you'll be using the bottom part). Remove and discard the 3 or 4 tough outer stalks.

Run a vegetables peeler over the exterior of the outer celery stalks to remove the stringy part of the vegetable, then cut each bunch of celery lengthwise into quarters. Keep close at hand.

Warm the oil in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, turnips and celery quarters, season with salt and pepper, and cook, without coloring the vegetables, about 3 minutes.

Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Adjust the heat so that the stock simmers steadily, and cook the vegetables for about 25 minutes, or until they can be pierced easily with the point of a knife. When the vegetables are tender, the liquid should be just about gone, so that you should have tender vegetables lightly glazed with the stock. Remove and discard the carrots and turnips and serve the celery immediately. (If it's more convenient, you can make the celery up to 6 hours ahead, chill it and then rewarm it gently at serving time.) Makes 8 servings

To serve: Serve the duo as a "duo," choosing a large heated platter and spooning the purée onto one half, the glazed celery onto the other. Or serve with braised ribs.

n Charlie Abowd is the owner and chef at Adele's. He and his wife, Karen, have lived in Carson City since 1980. Charlie is a fourth-generation restaurateur.