Boeuf Bourguignon

 Recipes  15 Responses »
Mar 232012
 

I’ve posted about this beouf bourguignon before.  I know.  And incidentally, if you want a good Before & After of a blogger’s journey through the years, check that link out.  I’ll wait.

See what I mean?

This recipe deserves another post.  In fact it deserves songs written about it and a book deal which can be turned into a movie or at least a miniseries in which it is the star.

But I’ll just stick to another post.  For now, anyway.

I can’t even quite describe what a big fat deal this dish is.  It’s just unlike any other stew I’ve ever eaten.  And I’ve eaten my fair share.

Rob always describes it as “rich”, which is a fact.  There is such a lovely depth of flavor happening.  I mean, come on.  Bacon.  Red wine.  Beef.  There’s no going wrong.

Did I mention there’s bacon? Oh, I did? Okay.

Confession time: I don’t follow Julia Child’s beouf bourguinon recipe to the letter anymore. I’ve put my own “Jen” spin on it.

Translation: I’m too lazy to do it Julia’s way.

But my husband sure doesn’t seem to mind.  Neither does mah belly.

There’s one step I never skimp on, though.  That would be the browned mushrooms.  Oh my goodness.

I’m the only person in the house who eats them.  Notice how un-sad I sound when I say that?

All.for.me.

The mushrooms are just browned up in butter and olive oil with some parsley thrown in.  And yet they are so, so special.  I Instgrammed this photo and it was agreed – there are many of us who would just eat these for dinner.

And then there’s the brown braised onions which normally go with the dish.  I make them if I’m feeling fancy.  If not, no biggie – I just eat the onions which cooked in the stew.

I really fly by the seat of my pants, don’t I?

Anyway, I don’t say “this is the bomb” very often (because there is no way to say that without sounding corny), but this is in fact THE bomb.  It is close-your-eyes-in-blissful-tranquility delicious.

It also helps that I generally serve this over brown buttered egg noodles.  Oh yeah.

I mean, seriously.  Just look at it.  There’s nothing more to say, is there?

You want this.  You need this.  You will have this if it’s the last thing you ever do.  Because you’re worth it.

Beouf Bourguignon

Adapted from Julia Child

1/2 lb bacon

3 lbs stew beef, cubed and dried thoroughly

3 tbs flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

2 large onions, peeled and sliced thinly

4 cups beef stock

3 cups red wine

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbs tomato paste

2 bay leaves

Several sprigs of thyme, left whole, or 1 tsp dried thyme leaves

3-4 tbs cornstarch (optional)

1/4 cup cold or room-temperature wine or beef stock (optional)

    Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
    Heat a dutch oven or other oven-proof covered roasting pan on stove over medium heat.  With a pair of kitchen shears, cut bacon into small pieces and drop into pan.  Cook bacon until browned, stirring frequently.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
    In batches of several pieces at a time, brown stew beef in remaining bacon grease.  Do not overcrowd the pan – only a half dozen pieces or so at a time so as to let the meat brown instead of only steaming it.
    When all beef is browned, add it back to the pan.  Sprinkle over the flour, salt and pepper and mix it together.  Place covered pan in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, to allow the flour to form a crust.
    Remove the pan from the oven and add remaining ingredients, sprinkling cooked bacon over top.  Cover the pan and cook for 2 1/2 hours in the oven.
    After the time is up, remove the pan from the oven.  In order to thicken the gravy, remove all solids from the pan and set aside.  Bring the gravy to a low boil and skim the fat off the surface (it forms a sort of skin so it’s easy to remove).  Depending on how much gravy you like, you can either boil it down until it coats the back of a spoon, or mix 3-4 tbs of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of room-temperature stock or wine and whisk this into the gravy.
    Add the meat and vegetables back to the gravy and allow to warm through.  Serve over rice, mashed potatoes or buttered noodles.

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 Posted by at 10:00 am  Tagged with: , , , ,

Irish Beef Stew

 Recipes  46 Responses »
Mar 122012
 

Hello, my friends.

First, what do you think of the new look? Gorgeous, right? I know! All thanks to the hardest working husband/designer this side of the Mississippi.

Second, I tried to make this stew over the weekend in order to get some fresh photos…only something went terribly wrong.  I don’t know if it was the meat or the beer.  

Either way, this goes to show that not everything can go according to plan.  So, I’m re-running last year’s version.  Enjoy!

 

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day coming up this week, I’ll be featuring a couple of yummy Irish-themed recipes which I hope will be part of your celebration.

First up is Irish Beef Stew.  Stew, as we all know, is an easy and tasty way to get something hot and hearty in your family’s belly.  It may take a little bit of time to prepare but while it’s cooking you can work on the other million items on your to-do list.  Or kick back and relax.  Depending on which universe you live in.

Plus…I love it.  I absolutely love stew.  There’s just something about fork-tender meat swimming around in rich, succulent gravy.

What I don’t love is the flavor potatoes take on when they’ve cooked in a stew.  We’re talking borderline phobia here, people.  So I make mashed potatoes instead, or egg noodles with browned butter.

Great.  Now I totally want some.

What makes this stew “Irish” is the addition of dark beer.  I used a very dark stout.  It gave a totally different complexity to the taste of the finished product and had me practically licking the plate.  As long as I’m being honest.

The addition of dumplings was a strike of brilliance - I got the recipe from Jamie’s Food Revolution and they couldn’t be easier.

And as we all know:  Easy + Tasty = A Winner.  It’s just simple math.

Enjoy!

Irish Beef Stew (adapted from Epicurious.com)

Prep Time: 30 minutes     Cooking Time: 2 1/2 hours

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 large garlic cloves, minced

6 cups beef stock or canned beef broth

1 cup red wine

1 cup dark beer, such as Guinness

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups peeled carrots, cut into pieces

3 lbs potatoes, scrubbed and cut into eighths

Dumplings (via Jamie Oliver)

1 3/4 cups self-rising flour*

1 stick cold butter, grated coarsely

Ice water or cold milk, as needed

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a dutch oven or a large skillet with deep sides, heat oil.  Brown beef on all sides, working in batches.  Be careful not to overcrowd the pan or else the beef will not brown property.

When beef is browned, combine in dutch oven or oven-proof roasting pan with all other ingredients except butter, potatoes and vegetables.  Give it a good stir to combine, then place covered pan in oven for 1 1/2 hours.

In frying pan, heat butter until foam dissolves.  Sautee vegetables and potatoes for 20 minutes.  After 1 1/2 hours are up, add to stew.  Continue to cook for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, mix up dumpling dough.  Combine flour, grated butter and just enough cold water or milk to form a dough.  Roll dough into ping pong sized balls and place on top of stew (should be half submerged).  Cook additional 30 minutes.

If you like a thick gravy, mix up 1 cup of water, stock or wine ( just make sure it’s not hot!) with 1/4 cup of cornstarch.  Whisk to ensure that cornstarch dissolves.  Remove cooked dumplings and set aside.  Slowly pour cornstarch mixture over stew, stirring constantly, until gravy is thickened to your liking.

*If you don’t have self-rising flour, add 1 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt for every cup of all-purpose flour.  For this recipe, you’d need a scant 2 1/2 tsp baking powder and a scant 1/2 tsp salt.

How do YOU celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

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 Posted by at 6:00 am  Tagged with: , , ,

Pasta with Quick Tomato Sauce

 Recipes  31 Responses »
Mar 212011
 
Anything Pasta

A long time ago, I made up my own recipe for a quick pasta sauce.  I don’t remember how this recipe was born, exactly – I’m sure it was a mixture of creativity, stuff in the fridge and a hardcore craving for pasta.

Since then I’ve prepared one variation after another literally hundreds of times.  It’s the sort of recipe you can change up according to the ingredients you have on hand.  I eat far too much of it.  I can admit my faults.

At the time I last made this, I had the great trifecta on hand: Tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil.  Talk about a match made in heaven, and my personal favorite flavor combination.

I also had black olives, which worked because I’ll put them in just about anything.  I’ve been known to eat handfuls of them at a time.  I might need therapy.

If I had spinach or mushrooms I’d have added them as well.  Lemon juice, white wine, any other fresh herbs…let your creativity run wild.

This sauce is such a wonder that unless you’re cooking fresh pasta or something thin like angel hair, you can prepare it in the time it takes the pasta to cook!

The fresh basil wilts when tossed with the hot pasta, and its scent is released.  It mingles with the garlic and tomatoes and creates a cloud of temptation which hangs in the air and begs you to take a taste.  And let’s not even talk about how the mozzarella starts to melt and fuse itself with the pasta.  Shaved Parmesan? Be still my heart.

Go ahead.  Try it for yourself.  And love this child of our combined imaginations.

Pasta with Quick Tomato Sauce

This recipe should serve at least 3 people.  Or one person, 3 times.  Guess which applies to me?

8 oz uncooked pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup black olives, rough chopped
1/4 cup fresh mozzarella, cubed or pearls
Handful fresh basil leaves, torn

Add pasta to heavily salted boiling water.

When pasta goes into water, heat butter and olive oil in large pan over medium heat.  When foam subsides, add garlic and stir gently.  Allow to cook for no more than 30 seconds or so.

Add tomatoes and toss to coat in butter/oil.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes start to pop.  Allow this to continue until tomatoes are all popped and starting to break down.  Add olives.  Check for seasoning, then add salt and pepper to taste.  Turn heat to low.

Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.  Add pasta to pan to combine with sauce, adding cooking water if necessary.  Add mozzarella and basil, tossing quickly to combine, then pour into serving bowl.  Serve immediately.

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 Posted by at 6:36 pm  Tagged with: , , ,
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