Flanken with peas

Simple ingredients come together to make a flavorful dinner of braised flanken and peas scented with allspice. This is pure comfort food, an affordable way to add meat to the table and is easy to prepare. The flanken is integral for the flavor but it’s the peas that shine in the end.

I’ve been getting some lessons about flanken and short ribs. Different butchers and different cities interchange these names, which can get confusing. I used the cheapest version labeled “flanken” at the store, which has as much bone as meat. That’s not a bad thing because the flavor comes from the bones and when this is served the meat is not the star of the show. Braising is a great way to get cheaper cuts of meat to shine. Short ribs cost about twice as much as flanken but will give you better quality meat, and more of it, so I’ll leave that choice up to you and your budget.

I make a version of this using frozen fava beans instead of peas. Both versions are best served over a bed of rice and can be made kosher for Passover if you eat kitniyot.

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I appreciate this recipe because once you do the initial preparations, you can just set your timer and forget about it.

Ingredients
Serves 4 as a main course, or 10 as a side dish

¼ cup olive oil, divided
2-3 pounds flanken
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 tablespoons fresh garlic, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or black pepper
1 teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cumin (optional)
2-3 cups water
2 pounds frozen peas (or frozen fava beans)

Before you start preparing this dish, know that you can either simmer it on the stove or braise it in the oven. I typically simmer this in a Dutch oven on the stove so that my oven is free for other things. If you prefer to use your oven, set the temperature to 325 F. It’s started on the stovetop either way.

Chop and prepare the onion and garlic, and measure the salt and spices. Allspice is the main flavored spice in this recipe. I love cumin, but you can omit it; like cilantro, a lot of people have an aversion to it.

Place a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat to warm for a few minutes before adding 2 tablespoons of oil.

Once the oil is hot, add the onion and stir every few minutes. After 10 minutes, raise the heat to medium to help the onions cook a bit faster. If they start to brown, either reduce the heat or add a little more olive oil to the pot.

Cook the onions for an additional 10 minutes and remove the onions from the pot.

Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pot and brown the flanken for 5 minutes on each side.

Use tongs to pile the flanken to one side of the pot.

Add the garlic to the empty side of the pot and stir for about 1 minute or until fragrant.

Stir the onions into the garlic, then add the allspice, cumin and pepper to the onions. Stir well. Using tongs, arrange the flanken across the bottom of the pot in a single layer, spreading the onion mixture around the meat.

Sprinkle it with salt, then add the water — 2 cups is typically enough. The flanken should not be completely covered with water; the tops of each piece should be showing over the top of the liquid.
Bring the pot to a boil before covering with a tight-fitting lid.

Reduce the stovetop to simmer or put the pot into the preheated oven.

Cook for 2 hours. If you use the stovetop, you should see a consistent, gentle simmer in the liquid.
After 2 hours, remove the lid and add the frozen peas or fava beans over the top of the meat. Frozen vegetables have a nice amount of liquid in them, but you can add another cup of water to the pot if you think the mixture looks dry.

Replace the lid back and cook for an additional 1½-2 hours.

The meat should be fork-tender and falling off the bones. When the meat is cooked, use the tongs to remove it to a separate plate to cool.

I typically use my fingers to remove the bones and tear the meat into bite-sized pieces before putting the meat back into the pot.

Stir well and taste the peas; add salt or pepper to your taste.

Serve over rice.

This recipe often tastes even better the following day, so you can make it in advance.

Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC

Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.