Lemongrass Rubbed Filet with Braised Short Ribs

Best Places Seattle Cookbook – The Painted Table Serves 4
Sauce1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and coarsely chopped
3 Tbls. Coarsely chopped ginger
6 kaffir lime leaves, coarsely chopped
6 Thai chiles or other small, hot chiles, stemmed and coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup plus 1 tsp. Brown sugar
½ cup seasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbls. Dry sherry
2 Tbls. Sesame oil
1 ½ - 2 pounds beef short ribs
3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
3 Tbls. Vegetable oil
4 filet mignon steaks, about 5 ounces each

Spicy Red Pepper Sauce
1 red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. Freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tsp. Sambal oelik or other hot chile sauce, more to taste.

Marinade: Combine lemongrass, ginger, lime leaves, chiles and garlic in small bowl. Stir to mix and set aside half of the seasoning mixture to use later. Pour the rest of the mixture in a large bowl and add the soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, sherry and oil. Stir to mix until the sugar is dissolved, then add the beef short ribs. Stir gently to evenly coat them. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for about 5 hours, stirring the ribs once or twice so they marinate evenly.

Pepper Sauce: Roast the red pepper over a gas flame or under the broiler until the skin blisters and blackens, turning occasionally to roast evenly, 5 – 10 minutes. Put the pepper into a plastic bag, securely seal it, and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel away and discard the skin. Remove the core and seeds and coarsely chop the pepper. Boil the garlic in water for 2 minutes. Drain the garlic and repeat. Put the drained garlic in a blender, add the roasted pepper, lime juice fish sauce, and chile sauce. Puree until smooth and taste for seasoning, adding more chile sauce to taste; set aside until ready to serve. Refrigerate if making it more than a few hours in advance, but let the sauce come room temperature before serving.
~After the ribs have marinated, preheat the oven to 325° Take the ribs from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan, add the chicken stock, and warm the marinade over medium heat. Sear the ribs until well browned on all sides, 3 – 5 minutes total, then pur the warm marinade over and o with the lid. Braise the ribs in the oven until the meat is very tender and begins to fall away from the bones, about 2 hours.
~Put the remaining lemongrass mixture in a food processor with the remaining teaspoon brown sugar and process until very finely minced. Rub the paste over both sides of the f
Let mignon steaks, set them on a plate, and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, while the ribs are braising.
~When the ribs are tender, take them from the oven and let cool slightly. Lift the ribs out with a slotted spoon to a plate and use your fingers to separate the meat from the bones and fat. Return the meat to the marinade and keep warm over low heat.
~Heat the remaining 2 Tbls. Vegetable oil in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Rub the lemongrass paste from the filet mignon steaks with a paper towel, season the steaks lightly with salt and pepper, and add them to the hot skillet. Pan-fry until cooked to taste; 2minutes per side for rare, 3-4 minutes for medium-rare to medium.
~Set the steaks on individual warmed plates and arrange the ribs alongside. Drizzle some of the spicy red pepper sauce alongside and serve.