Antonio Mora's Corned Beef Short rib with Parsnip Cream, Mustard Seed Caviar and Savoy Cabbage

After working with some of the best chefs in New York — at Daniel, Frankie's Spuntino and Prime Meats — Chef Antonio Mora came to Quality Meats where he developed his signature, earthy, rustic take on contemporary steakhouse classics.

He led an on-location class in March of 2019 showcasing his Corned Beef Short Rib. The full recipe is below. 

Corned Beef Short Rib with Parsnip Cream, Mustard Seed Caviar and Savoy Cabbage

Ingredients

Pickling spices:

• 1 Tbsp whole all spice berries 
• 1 Tbsp whole mustard seeds (brown or yellow)
• 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
• 2 tsp whole cloves
• 9 whole cardamom pods
• 6 large bay leaves crumbled
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 stick cinnamon

Brine:

• 1-gallon (3.8 liters) water
• 300 g Kosher salt (2 cups of Kosher salt OR 1 cup 3 1/2 tablespoons of Morton's Kosher Salt)
• 5 tsp pink curring salt (optional)*
• 3 Tbsp pickling spices
• 1/2 cup (90 g) brown sugar

*Pink salt, or sodium nitrite, goes by many names, such as Prague Powder #1 or DQ Curing Salt #1, and is available online and may be available at your local specialty market or butcher shop. If you don't have it, you can still make corned beef, but it is necessary for that vibrant pink color we associate with corned beef. And it adds flavor too. Without it the corned beef will be a dull grey color.

Note that pink curing salt is NOT Himalayan pink salt. Pink curing salt is toxic and can be deadly if ingested directly, which is why it is colored pink, so consumers do not mistake it for table salt.

Brisket:

• 1 5-pound Short Rib
• 1 Tbsp pickling spices

Method

• Toast and crush spices: You can either used store-bought pickling spices or you can make your own. To make your own, toast the allspice berries, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, peppercorns, cloves, and cardamom pods in a small frying pan on medium heat until fragrant. Note that it is pretty easy to burn spices; you want enough heat to release their flavors, not so much that they get burned.
• Remove from heat and place in a small bowl. Use a mortar and pestle to crush the spices a little (or the back of a spoon or the side of a knife on a flat surface). Add to a small bowl and stir in the crumbled bay leaves and ground ginger.
•  Make curing brine with spices, salts, sugar, water: Add about 3 Tbsp of the spice mix (reserve the rest for cooking the corned beef after it has cured), plus the half stick of cinnamon, to a gallon of water in a large pot, along with the Kosher salt, pink salt (if using), and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate until well chilled.
• Cover Short Rib with brine, chill: Place the Short Rib in a large, flat container or pan, and cover with the brine. The brine should cover the meat. The meat may float in which case you may want to weigh it down with a plate. Alternatively, you can use a 2-gallon freezer bag (placed in a container so if it leaks it doesn't leak all over your refrigerator), place the Short Rib in the freezer bag and about 2 quarts of brine, squeezing out the air from the bag before sealing.
• Place in the refrigerator and chill from 5-7 days. Every day flip the Shortrib over, so that all sides get brined equally.
• Cook cured meat: At the end of the cure, remove the Short Rib from the brine and rinse off the brine with cold water. Place the Short RibBr in a large pot that just fits around the Shortrib and cover with at least one inch of water. If you want your Short rib less salty, add another inch of water to the pot. Add a tablespoon of the pickling spices to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a very low simmer (barely bubbling), and cook 3-4 hours, until the corned beef is fork tender. (At this point you can store in the fridge for up to a week.)
• Cut across the grain: Remove the meat to a cutting board. the visible lines on the meat; this is the "grain" of the meat, or the direction of the muscle fibers.
• To make the meat easier to cut, cut it first in half, along the grain of the meat. Then make thin crosswise cuts, across the grain to cut the meat to serve. 

Parsnip Puree

Method

• Peel Parsnips make a cut off the top of the fat end of each parsnip. This will show you extent of the inner core.
• Often this core is stringy and woody, especially at the larger end of the parsnip. When you are prepping the parsnips, cut around this core.
• Toss with melted butter and place in roasting pan: Place chopped parsnips in a medium sized bowl, add the melted butter and stir to coat. Lay out the parsnips on a roasting pan in a single layer.
• Roast in oven: Roast in the 400°F (205°C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly golden, turning the parsnips once half-way through the cooking.
• Purée cooked parsnips: Put cooked parsnips into a blender or food processor. Add 1 1/2 cups water, and pulse until puréed to the desired consistency. Add more water if necessary.
• Season: Add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

Mustard Seed Caviar

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup yellow mustard seed
• 3/4 cup white wine vinegar, plus 1/4 cup
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp whole white peppercorn
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 

Method

• Thoroughly rinse the mustard seeds in a fine mesh sieve. Add the drained seeds, 3/4 cup of the white wine vinegar, and the salt to a bowl and set aside. Allow the seeds to soak at room temperature for one hour. 
• Add the honey, turmeric, peppercorns, and red pepper flakes to the seed mixture, gently stir, and pour into a small saucepan. (If you prefer a different mix of spices, feel free to experiment -- this recipe is very adaptable!)
• Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, making sure to stir the bottom and sides of the saucepan regularly. Continue to cook for about 20 minutes.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool (the mixture will continue to thicken). Once the seed mixture has returned to room temperature, stir in the remaining white wine vinegar. When stored in an airtight jar and kept refrigerated, the pickled mustard seeds will keep well for about 3 months.
•  Note: The seeds will continue to absorb liquid while they are refrigerated. To keep them from getting too thick, you can periodically stir more white wine vinegar into the jar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, whenever necessary.

Savoy Cabbage

Ingredients

• One 2-pound head of green cabbage
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 1/2 tsp celery seeds
• Salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

METHOD

• Put water on to boil: Heat a large (8-quart) pot of well salted water to a boil.
• Prep the cabbage: While the water is heating, prepare the cabbage. Peel away and discard and discolored or old outer leaves. Cut the head of cabbage into quarters, through the core, and cut away and discard the core. Use your hands to tear the cabbage into large (about 1 to 2 inch) pieces. (Or use a knife.)
• Boil leaves for 90 seconds: Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the torn cabbage leaves to the water. Submerge the leaves in the hot water. Cook for 90 seconds, then drain the pot of its water. Return the cabbage leaves to the pot.
• Melt butter, toss with cabbage, caraway, celery seeds, salt: Stir 4 tablespoons of butter into the cabbage. The cabbage and the pan are both hot, so the butter should melt quickly in the pan.If you are using unsalted butter, you will want to add more salt to the cabbage. Start with half a teaspoon and add more if needed.
• Sprinkle with caraway seeds, celery seeds, and black pepper, and toss to combine.

Antonio Mora's Menu