Beouf Bourguignon and Allegrini Brunello di Montalcino

THE OLD CLASSICS AND A WINE PAIRING

Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup 

(Eat well, laugh often, love abundantly) 

– French saying 

Boeuf bourguignon was all the rage a couple of years ago in the blogging world, as if it was a dish newly invented, the next great challenge. These trends that seem to come and go in waves – the boeuf bourguignon and the coq au vin, the macarons, the bacon desserts – always make me wonder what creates this sudden desire that seems to consume so many all at once to make the same thing and eat the same thing all at the same time. The identical recipe, or a slight variation thereof, appears across thousands of blogs around the world over a rather short period of time, weeks or months, sometimes up to a year, and then disappears as suddenly, as inexplicably as it had arrived. And that recipe gets shuffled back to the archives of forgotten food.

Unless you live in a place where those recipes are simply daily fare.


Boeuf bourguignon has long been a classic of French home cooking originating, as the name implies, in the Bourgogne region of France known for both its beef and its wine. A dish both hardy and frugal, the boeuf bourguignon has long been the quintessential Sunday lunch. Using a cheaper cut of meat rendered tender through long, slow cooking, potatoes, carrots, onion and herbs from the family kitchen garden, simmered in red wine, not necessarily the best bottle, boeuf bourguignon has been one of those meat and potato meals that my husband and his mother and, without a doubt, his grandmother before him, turned to over and over again for a delicious yet simple and inexpensive meal. Beef stew, French style. 

The classic home dishes that most French families traditionally grow up on are indeed frugal one-pot meals meant to nourish and fill tummies, taking little time for the housewife (working alongside her husband and taking care of the children) to prepare. Boeuf bourguignon, much like veal blanquette, poule au pot or pot au feu, is a rather simple meal to prepare, to the contrary of what many bloggers see as an extravagant, fancy dish, one slaved over for hours and served up in great pomp. This actually took me quite by surprise and still does today. I tag along behind my husband as he does the marketing, the morning leaning towards noon, and suddenly, husband will get that look on his face, one of sudden decision and determination, and he grabs my hand and drags me to the butcher counter, the root vegetable guy whose stall is groaning under the weight of potatoes, onions of every variety, shallots both brown and purple, garlic, beans and grains, and finally to the vegetable stand.

How about a boeuf bourguignon? he’ll ask (or a pot au feu or a rabbit en gibelotte).

Really? I’ll ask, stunned and wide eyed in wonder and amazement, my American convenience food upbringing written all over my face. My admiration for this man as he stands at the counter chopping vegetables and over the stove as he tosses everything into a pot, pours on wine and promptly leaves the kitchen, allowing whatever is in the pot to cook itself to perfection, is without bounds.

And by lunchtime or dinnertime it is ready.

A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine. 

- Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste, 1825 

This hardy, flavorful boeuf bourguignon needed to be accompanied by a rich, intense, full-bodied wine, much like the traditional Bourgogne, one that pairs so well with meats, game and stews, aged cheeses and mushrooms. I had recently received a selection of wines from the wonderful Allegrini Estates and my husband, the cook, and I decided to serve the 2008 Brunello di Montalcino with Boeuf Bourguignon. The Brunello di Montalcino is described as “intense and bright ruby red with garnet highlights….(revealing) typical aromas of violets and small red berries. There is a distinctive aroma of woodland undergrowth, aromatic wood and a light note of vanilla and preserved fruit, followed by subtle nuances of coffee.” The 2008 in particular is described as “silky, gracious and very nicely balanced with notes of tobacco, crushed flowers, spices which meld into red fruits.”

Personally, I found this wine much easier to drink, indeed silkier than its French counterpart, much smoother, fruitier with that spicy, peppery finish yet one that doesn’t make it go down with a bump. I am no wine expert and prefer lighter, fruitier wines than those of Bourgogne or Bordeaux which I find simply too strong and powerful, but the Brunello di Montalcino was surprisingly delicious, agreeable, smooth and so pleasurable to drink while offering a mouthful of flavors, a lingering aroma. It accompanied the boeuf bourguignon perfectly. The perfect marriage between something oh-so French and something spectacularly Italian.

This Brunello di Montalcino remaining in the bottle at the end of lunch or dinner pairs beautifully with artisan chocolates to round off the meal.

Thanks to the kind folks at Allegrini Estates/Allegrini USA. This is the first in a series of food and wine pairings I am doing with Allegrini and I heartily urge you to try their astonishing wines.

Wine makes a symphony of a good meal. -

Fernande Garvin, The Art of French Cooking, 1969 

BŒUF BOURGUIGNON

Serve 4 to 6 and makes excellent leftovers. Preparation time is close to 3 ½ to 4 hours which includes an hour resting time once the stew is cooked. This is a great dish to make the day before it is served then just gently reheated (or the morning for the evening).

About 1 lb 12 oz - 2 lbs (800 g - 1 kg) beef for stewing, cut into 8 – 10 large chunks
Olive oil or a mix of olive oil and margarine to sautée vegetables and brown meat
2 – 3 Tbs flour
2 small to medium onions, peeled and chopped coarsely
3 cloves garlic, crushed

Carrots and potatoes and mushrooms – the number depends on how much you like and want to eat (this from the Frenchman!). On average, 2 – 3 carrots, 1 lb/500 g potatoes, 10 oz/300 g mushrooms, each cleaned, trimmed, peeled and cut into large chunks.

1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay/laurel although you can add sauge and/or rosemary if desired)
1 bottle of intense wine such as a Burgundy or Bordeaux
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

If you like, marinate the chunks of beef in about a cup of wine or so overnight; this may make them more tender. Have the meat at room temperature before starting to cook.

Put about 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil or half olive oil and half margarine in a large heavy pot, one that will comfortably hold all of the meat and vegetables. When sizzling, add the chopped onions cook, stirring, until translucent and tender. Add the garlic and contnue cooking for another couple of minutes. Add the chunks of meat and brown on all sides.

Once the meat is browned (or colored), add the flour and toss until all of the meat is coated and the flour is absorbed; cook for a few more minutes. Add the bottle of wine until the meat is covered in liquid; top up with water if needed to cover the meat. Add the bouquet garni, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for 1 hour.

While the meat is simmering, cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Drain.

Add the carrots and the mushrooms cut into large chunks and the potatoes once the meat has simmered in the wine for 1 hour. Cover the pot again and continue cooking on a very low simmer for another 1 or until all of the vegetables are tender.

The cooking liquid should reduce into a rather thick sauce (ours could have been reduced a bit more), but watch towards the end – if it looks to be reducing too much and risks burning, don’t hesitate to add more liquid (water).

Turn off the pot, remove from the heat and allow to sit for an hour so the meat relaxes before serving. This is not necessary but recommended. Remove the bouquet garni before serving and discard.

Boeuf Bourguignon can also be cooked without the potatoes and served over cooked noodles or mashed potatoes or even polenta. Serve with a good, intense wine and a fresh loaf of bread.

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CLASSIC FRENCH BEEF AND CARROTS à la mode

BOEUF À LA MODE* AUX CAROTTES FOR THE CHANGES IN OUR LIVES


The call came Friday afternoon as things were winding down for the day, heading towards dinnertime, melting into the weekend. We had truly put it as far out of our minds as it was humanly possible to forget something one loves, missing something one has never possessed as we did. I was in the bedroom, French doors flung open to the cool breeze, sunshine washing over me, making the bed, smoothing down crisp, fresh sheets when I heard the telephone ring. JP answered as he usually does now that the phone is his work tool. My heart jumped when I heard the lilting cheer sweep through his words, normally so businesslike and efficient, heard him mention “my wife and I just spoke about it yesterday”! My heart skipped a beat as I listened to his cheerful half of a conversation, pulling me into his enthusiasm. There was only one thing he could be talking about, one person with whom he could be having this particular conversation.

So much activity, so much excitement has kept me from my kitchen these past few weeks. My insatiable appetite for adventure has surely been sated by now, or so one would think. An explosive week in New York proved to be both exhausting and inspiring. New connections and relationships leading to new projects have my nose stuck firmly to the grindstone. The flurry of a son applying to university, putting together a portfolio, learning to draw, growing up in leaps and bounds before our very eyes. And now this… in the course of our hurried, frantic search for a new home, we had both fallen in love with an apartment…correction: we had both fallen in love with a set of law offices, seeing in every room the makings of a cozy home, the perfect love nest. We had sent in a bid the very same day of our unique visit only to learn that someone else had done the same but earlier. Our hopes dashed, we hung our heads, tried not to think of what we had loved and lost without ever having possessed it, and continued on our search.


Yet, here was the call we had been praying for. That deal fell through and we could, with just one simple word, be the proud owners of this new, our future home. “Yes!”

We analyze the price of real estate past, present and future, our hopes rising and falling with the numbers across the charts, calculating our purchase price against provisions for a future sale. We walk briskly into town, slowing down as we arrive at the foot of the building in which our possible future home nestles behind pale walls. We look up, up, craning our necks as we count the number of windows up and over, scrutinizing the brightness of the sunlight as it hits the apartment, listening to the noise as the tram rumbles past. We nod in the direction of our former boulanger, boucher, traiteur of years past and whisper “welcome back, us!” as we prepare to return to our old neighborhood.

We excitedly list all that needs to be done in the months to come, the phone, the gas, the parking garage, as we flip through catalogues, choosing a new kitchen, bathroom, colors of paint which will grace and brighten the walls of a future livingroom and bedroom. We’ve surely been through much, much worse! Our first apartment in Nantes was twice as large, twice as deteriorated, had been twice as costly to renovate. Yes, that one had a bathroom albeit an ancient relic from the early 1950’s, and a kitchen sink, although not much else, whereas this apartment has neither, but little facts like this never dissuaded us before. We love ourselves a little adventure!


And so, as the excitement mounts, as we prepare for this new phase of our life, it is ever so appropriate that JP made Boeuf aux Carottes. I often laud my husband’s cooking, extol his talent in the kitchen, his genius in taking whatever is huddled in the back of the refrigerator threatening to die a lonely, smelly death or his expertise in purchasing only the most seasonal at the market and with a few flicks of his wrist, a wave of his hand, a flourish and a mere embellishment or two, creating a sensational meal. But his Boeuf aux Carottes, Beef with Carrots, may have been the best thing he has ever cooked for me. The last time he made this, I had just arrived home from the airport, weary, exhausted and feeling terribly despondent. I had just returned from New York and my last visit with my brother. And when JP ushered me through our front door after that interminable flight and a sleepless night, as he set down my luggage in the livingroom and guided me into the kitchen, he placed a plate of Boeuf aux Carottes in front of me. Fragrant steam rose and curled around my head, satisfying and luscious, at once lifting up my spirits and awakening an appetite long gone. Although rarely in the mood to eat after a long voyage and even less inclined now after such a sad trip, his Beef with Carrots soothed my soul, each mouthful of meltingly tender beef and sweet carrots in a rich wine sauce simply made me feel loved, safe and home.


Sharp changes in our lives are mellowed by good food, the bumps and doubts softened by a wonderful homecooked meal. JP’s Boeuf aux Carottes is one of those dishes that will ever be associated with those times in my own life when changes have disrupted a daily routine or threatened to turn everything ordinary on its head; a wonderful dish infused with the goodness of so many generations of loving mamans yet ennobled with the old JP magic, elevated to extraordinary by his own wonderful, modern twist on something homey and comforting. His Boeuf aux Carottes lies somewhere between a Boeuf Bourguingon and Boeuf Mode yet capturing his recipe to write down in black and white and transmit it to you is difficult. This is a recipe best made au pif, by instinct, by feel, to taste. But so worth the effort! Here is a simple guideline to follow to adjust as you see fit: adjust the quantities of meat, wine, carrots and seasoning, serve over pasta or add potatoes into the stew alongside the carrots, cooking until tender.


This classic French dish will be shared as part of my Monthly Mingle (an event created by my friend Meeta) April in Paris. Please join me by cooking or baking something French or French-inspired – please follow the rules on my April in Paris Monthly Mingle post… Bon Appétit!


* Pot Roast

BEEF AND CARROTS
JP’s Boeuf à la Mode aux Carottes* for 4 people


28 oz (800 g) beef for stew, cut into 5 or 6 large pieces
2 medium yellow onions, peeled, cut in quarters and sliced
3 or 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed or coarsely chopped
3 to 4 Tbs (45 to 60 g) margarine
Handful – or about 1 heaping Tbs (30 g) – flour
1 bottle dry red wine (about 2 cups/500 ml for cooking and the rest for drinking with the meal)
Scant cup (200 ml) tomato coulis or purée
Bouquet garni or loose dried herbs (thyme and bay leaf)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One bouquet or bunch baby carrots or about 1 ½ lbs (750 g), peeled and sliced into coins

1 lb (500 g) fresh or dried pasta, preferably something thick or shaped to help scoop up the sauce

-or- about 1 – 1 1/5 lbs (500 to 750 g) fingerling potatoes

In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine. Add the chunks of meat and brown on all sides. Add the onions, the garlic and the handful of flour and continue cooking, stirring and tossing until the onions are tender and the floured meat golden.

Add about 2 cups of red wine or until the liquid covers the meat not more than about halfway. Heat just to the boil. Add the tomato coulis or purée, the thyme and bay leaf, salt and pepper and then add enough water just to cover the meat. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes.

At the end of the first 1 hour 30 minutes, add the carrot coins and continue to cook for another 45 minutes to an hour, adding water only as needed. The meat and the carrots should be beautifully tender and the wine, water and juices should have formed a nice thick sauce. Add more water to thin out if desired. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

We make the Boeuf aux Carottes early in the morning for lunch (or even for dinner), counting on finishing the cooking about an hour before lunch is served, then removing it from the heat and allowing it to rest and the flavors to develop. When you put your water for the pasta, turn the heat under the Beef and Carrots to low or medium low to gently and slowly heat up and heat through.

If reheating any leftovers just add water to keep the sauce and meat from burning and to make sure there is plenty of sauce.

Serve over pasta.

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TENDER COOKED BEEF AND CARROT CANNELLONI

FROID, BRULÉ, PAS CUIT… *

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.

- Harriet Van Horne

With all the baking that goes on in my house, with all of the baked goods that appear on my blog, one would think that we never eat a meal here. Cake for breakfast, cake for lunch, panna cotta and fruit tarts for dinner and so on and so forth.


My husband and I form the ideal couple: he cooks and I bake. You see, he is as comfortable in front of the butcher’s counter and at the greengrocer, as happy in front of a cutting board, knife in hand, and in front of the stove as I am with my hands deep inside a soft mound of bread dough or whizzing up egg whites and melting chocolate. He learned to cook when he was a boy, all of those long years ago, preparing blanquette and boeuf au carottes while his mother worked, as I was watching, mesmerized, on the other side of the Atlantic, my father marble chocolate and vanilla cake batters and prepare choux pastry. Over our many years together, he has educated me on the ins and outs of savory cooking, teaching me to make couscous and tagine, potée and moules marinières. Yes, I did the cooking when he was at work and enjoyed it immensely (once the unbearable angst of having to make a decision on what to cook had been conquered), but come weekend or vacation time, he would once again tie on an apron and take over the kitchen. And happy was I to leave him the way.

Now that he is working from home, he cooks and I bake. Mostly. The urge comes upon one or the other swiftly, without warning, the desire for something savory, a warming plate of tender, long-simmered meat, vibrant tomatoes made sweet and meltingly luscious by slow cooking, a casserole gooey with cheese or sweetened with plump raisins or prunes. If it is early enough in the day, we shrug on coats and slip into shoes and, basket in hand, make our way to the neighborhood market. Fruits and vegetables, his preferred butcher or mine, maybe the Italian stand for fresh pasta, Bresaola and Scamorza Affumicata, or the Alsatian stand for choucroute, saucisses de Strasbourg or boudin blanc. Olives, a loaf of fresh bread, a bottle of wine snuggle deep amongst the crinkly brown paper sacks of oranges, endives and tomatoes and we hurry back home, sharing the weight of the basket brimming with fresh ingredients between the two of us. Once home, kitchen duties are divvied up and another savory meal is prepared.


If the weather is lousy, rain spattering against the windowpanes and the sky an unwelcoming leaden and dull, or if it is too close to mealtime, our morning or afternoon having slipped by unnoticed while we work, or if we are simply too lazy to trek out into the wilds of Nantes, cupboards are riffled through, cans and boxes shifted left and right, the refrigerator ransacked, emptied, leftovers, jars and Tupperware containers scrutinized, peered into, poked at and separated into old and fuzzy or perfectly good. A leftover lasagna or Parmentier is reheated or JP turns on the magic and the charm, takes everything that hasn’t withered and died of old age and somehow, wondrously concocts a delicious, flavorful meal.

I have traveled quite a long way from that small American town in the shadow of NASA’s rockets where fresh seafood straight from the ocean and citrus plucked directly from the tree alternated with frozen dinners, Hamburger Helper and pancake dinners. The most exotic, culturally significant meals in our home involved Borscht, chicken soup with matzo balls and Challah. Moving to France may have opened my eyes to an entirely new culture and cuisine, but it is thanks to my husband that I have discovered all the details and more: he has walked me through the repertoire of classic French home cooking, hearty, traditional and warming, enriching each dish with a tale from his childhood or a colorful episode in France’s history; he has introduced me to foods local and regional as well as the cuisines of Morocco and Vietnam, now part of the French national food culture, dishes rich in tradition and, again, history, recounting stories of his time spent in Morocco eating and learning to cook or comedic episodes of his time at university, hours spent eating bowls of Bo Bun in a familiar and much-visited Vietnamese restaurant near the school. Together we have wandered high and low, through France and Italy, spent time in Basque country, discovering food in Budapest or in Florida and New England. We have snapped pictures and tasted local foods and dishes, strolled through markets as if on an educational field trip. We have savored the new and the formerly unknown at the homes of both friends and strangers, asking questions and taking notes, and built up our personal encyclopedia of information, cooking methods, stories and foods. And with his advice, guidance and inspiration, I have learned to cook.


But learning how to make the perfect, traditional Blanquette de Veau, Couscous or Poulet Yassa aside, my living in France and my marriage to a food-passionate man curious about cultures and cuisines and a history buff to boot has been the means of my discovering special ingredients and obscure specialties from preserved lemons to supions and encornets, from salsify to celeriac, turmeric, coriander and cumin, cotechino, harira, stinco, not to forget a dictionary's worth of cheeses. And boeuf cuit. Boeuf Cuit is quite simply cooked beef, but it is not as simple as it sounds. Chunks of tender cooked beef, the same cuts usually selected for a bourguignon, having long simmered in a savory broth are compressed together into a type of terrine with tiny cubes of carrots and bound with aspic or jellied broth and sold in thick slices at the butcher’s counter. JP introduced me to this unusual ingredient early in our marriage when he would bring it home, cut it into cubes or crumble it into shreds and toss it together with slices of tender cooked potatoes, plenty of chopped violet shallots and a tangy vinaigrette. Delicious! Wonderful for a light weekend lunch, a casual dinner or packed and tucked inside a basket for a perfect picnic meal.

Our latest issue of French Saveurs magazine had him back at the butcher’s counter ordering a pound or so of Boeuf Cuit. He has been on a Cannelloni streak lately; boxes of cannelloni pasta accumulate joyously in our pantry and he purchased the perfect little stainless steal baking pan just the width of a cannelloni shell and large enough for one meal for a family of four. So, of course, the recipe for Cannellonis au Boeuf Fondant et aux Carottes, cannelloni of meltingly tender beef and carrots, jumped out of the glossy pages of the magazine and into his eager, waiting hands. He followed the recipe as well as someone who cooks au pif, by instinct or feel, can do, adding more carrots, using a tad less beef, flavoring it to his own exquisite taste, and served us this luscious, wonderful, hearty meal. As we only stuffed enough pasta shells to fill our tiny baking pan in one layer, there was enough filling left over to use as the base of a ragout, blended and heated with more homemade tomato sauce, to serve over fresh pasta.

The only real stumbling block is fear of failure.
In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.
- Julia Child

* The title of my post? Froid, Brulé, Pas Cuit? It means Cold, Burned, Undercooked; i.e. a culinary disaster. As we are all inclined to expect the worst of everything and anything we cook or bake, JP pulled out this old phrase, coined during his university days by a friend, dusted it off and introduced it into our home. This phrase has become a joke in our kitchen, a way to mock the other when doubts of our cooking or baking prowess take over or our confidence in the results of an all-out culinary effort begin to waver, a way to lighten the mood and make the other laugh. Although I, the Nervous Nellie who doubts myself from beginning to end, am constantly finding fault with my own recipes, JP’s method of cooking leaves little room for disaster as he adjusts and corrects along the way.

Don't forget JP's other recipes:




Cauliflower and Potato Gratin









Lasagna Two Ways: Smoked Salmon and Spinach or Veal and Vegetable



On a final note, it is that time of year for Saveur’s Best Food Blog Awards and it would be tremendous to be considered for an award from this prestigious magazine. If you enjoy Life’s a Feast, if my stories touch you in some way, if you are interested in nominating my blog for one of the categories that you feel is the best fit, I would certainly appreciate your support and the time that it takes to put in the nomination. Just link over to their website. Thank you! It does mean the world to me!

And speaking of From Plate to Page, due to an unexpected cancellation, there are now a couple of spaces open for our exciting Somerset workshop in May. If you are looking for an intimate, hands-on, practical workshop providing you with the tools, instruction and inspiration to define and hone your food writing, styling and photography skills and kick start your creativity all in a convivial, fun- and food-filled weekend then Plate to Page is for you! For details about the workshop, the four instructors (I teach food writing) and registration, please visit out our website! But hurry, spaces are limited to 12 and they are going fast! Questions? Visit our new FAQ page!


CANNOLLONI OF TENDER COOKED BEEF AND CARROTS
From the March 2012 issue of French Saveurs

I will give you the exact recipe as given in the magazine. JP adjusted it to use less cooked beef and more carrots and mildly adjusted the flavorings to his taste. A delicious recipe but one I would actually change the next time we make it by doubling the tomato sauce and blending half the sauce in with the meat mixture to lighten it and add more moisture. As I said above, this is a fabulous filling turned into a ragout to serve over pasta.

12 cannelloni shells
750 g (1 ½ lbs boeuf cuit or cooked beef leftover from a pot au feu, bourguignon or similar)*
200 g (7 oz) carrots, washed, peeled and trimmed **
½ an onion or more if desired
500 ml (2 cups) meat stock (from a cube is fine)
1 Tbs tomato paste
Several tablespoons olive oil, as needed
100 g (3 ½ oz) grated Parmesan cheese
15 g (1 Tbs) butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper

* We used 500 g (1 lb)
** We used 6 carrots

Shred the beef. Cut the cleaned carrots into tiny cubes and finely chop the onion.

Sauté the chopped onion in a few tablespoons olive oil for about 3 minutes or until tender. Add the carrots and the meat. Add enough of the meat stock to just cover the mixture, salt and pepper (taste the stock to verify how salty it already is so you don’t oversalt the dish) and allow to gently simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, allow the meat to cool to room temperature.

In a separate pan, bring the rest of the meat stock and the tomato paste to a boil; pepper and salt only if needed.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and butter the bottom and sides of a baking dish or pan. Stuff the cannelloni shells with the cooled meat and carrot filling and line the filled shells up snugly in the buttered baking dish in a single layer. Pour the meat stock/tomato paste over and around the shells, sprinkle generously with the grated Parmesan, cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, removing the foil about 10 minutes before the end of cooking.

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Beef Stew with Beer…

Enough said right?  How can beef stew simmered for hours in a nice hearty beer be bad?  In my books it can’t so when I was searching for a stew recipe and came across this one from Ree of The Pioneer Woman I knew I’d found what I was looking for.

This soup was rich and delicious and made for a perfect weeknight meal for a busy family!
Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika (The Pioneer Woman)
Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 2 pounds Stew Meat (I dredged the meat in seasoned flour  (salt, pepper and garlic powder) before browning it)
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can Beer, 12 Ounce Can
• 4 cups Beef Stock (or 4 Cups Water + 4 Beef Bouillon Cubes)
• 2 cups Water (additional, If Needed)
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Sugar
• 4 whole Carrots, Washed, Unpeeled, And Roughly Sliced
• 4 whole New Potatoes, Quartered
• Minced Parsley (optional)

Directions:
Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown (floured and seasoned) meat in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown. Cut pieces in half.
Add diced onions to the pot. Stir and cook for two or three minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute. Pour in beer and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add beef back into the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
*UPDATE: The liquid should cook down to a thicker state. If it gets too thick/reduces too much, add additional water as needed.
Add carrots and potatoes, then cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. (If stew gets dry, just add a cup of hot water at a time to replenish the liquid.) Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
***We loved this recipe and the only change I made was dredging the meat in seasoned flour (salt, pepper and a bit of garlic powder).  Will be making this again as soon as it’s cool enough…

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My favorite quick, one pot meal…

We all need a go to meal.  Something that we have all the ingredients on hand at all times and is fast and easy to prepare right? 
This is mine.  It take me about 28 minutes from start to finish but longer if I use brown rice and guess what?  Everyone in the house will eat it!!!  That’s what truly makes this one pot dish a winner to me!
Bean and Rice Stew
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb ground turkey or beef
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1 cup of frozen corn
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked rice (brown rice will increase the cooking time)
1 tsp Better than Bouillon beef flavored
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat Olive oil in a large, deep skillet.  cook onion and garlic til apaque and softened.  Cook the ground meat over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain excess fat. Stir in water, rice, beans and corn.   Season with beef bouillon and salt and black pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice is cooked and water is absorbed.
***this recipe is super flexible.  Add to it what you want.  I have a friend who adds salsa to it to give it a different touch.  Use green peppers, add zucchini…really whatever you want to add.
****You can use brown rice with this.  It will increase your cooking time but what I have done before is to cook the rice in the morning and throw it in when everything else is cooked and just heat it through.

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Beef, Wild Mushroom and Barley Soup in (get this) my Crock Pot!!!

The other day I was going through my freezer looking for what I could pull out and use up this week. I found a round steak that was in there from last year when I had ordered a 1/4 of a cow (Happy Meat). For some reason this steak was never eaten, probably because it was just one and not enough to feed all four of us…Anyway I pulled it out and thawed it to make some Beef Barley soup. Well, we know how plans change and recipes morph into other things so here is what I came up with…

Beef, Wild Mushroom and Barley Soup in the Crock Pot

Ingredients:

2 Tbs olive oil (more if needed)
1 1/2 lbs round steak or stewing beef, cut into bite sized pieces
1 lg onion (chopped)
2 sticks of celery (chopped-I used the tops and all)
3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 cup dried wild mushrooms (rehydrated with boiling water and chopped)
2/3 cup red wine
10 cups of water
2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup pearled barley
1 tsp savory
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 tsp beef base (I use better than bouillon)

Directions:

1. In a large pot heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the meat and brown well. Add more oil if needed. Remove the meat and place it in your Crock Pot (I used a 5 or 6 quart Crock Pot).
2. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the celery, onions and garlic and stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent and soft. Increase the heat to medium add the red wine to deglaze the pan (scrape the bottom to loosen the brown bits).
3. Add your onion mixture to the Crock Pot along with the mushrooms, water, and salt. Turn your Crock Pot on low and let cook for at least 5 hrs. About 1 hr before eating add the barley, thyme, white pepper and the savory and cook until the barley is cooked. Taste before serving and add beef base as needed.

***This was an absolutely delicious soup and it was even better the next day! Serve it with a nice slice of crusty bread and you have a fantastic week night meal!

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Southwestern Sliders

Hamburgers are one of those things that will never allow me to give up beef completely. I'm a sucker for a good burger and love topping them or mixing various ingredients for new flavors. My only issue with hamburgers is that they can be too big, too obnoxiously done up with toppings and awkward to eat. My alternative? Sliders. They are the perfect size and much more my style... yet still capturing all the things I love about hamburgers. As an appetizer for our Memorial weekend menu, I prepared the following Southwestern sliders to go with our menu...

Southwestern Sliders
original Joelen recipe

1 lb ground beef (80/20)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 stalks green onion, sliced (green part only)
1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
preferred small rolls of your choice, sliced crosswise (I used King's Hawaiian Bread rolls)


In a large bowl, combine all spices together.

Add the ground beef, green onion and cheese into the bowl and gingerly mix in, making sure you don't overwork the beef.

Form large meatballs of the beef mixture to create slider beef patties.

Place the patties on a hot grill, grill pan or griddle. If using a grill pan, place a grill press over the patties. Allow the patties to cook thoroughly on one side before flipping.

When patties are fully cooked (roughly 10 -12 minutes), place the patties inside each sliced roll.

Serve with your preferred toppings and condiments.

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Stuffed Flank Steak (w/Red Pepper, Basil & Provolone)

My husband hasn't been able to eat beef for nearly 2 years without having a gout flareup. However after taking steps to improve our health, he's been able to eat beef lately. I've missed preparing beef and although he can eat it now, it's still a meat we plan on eating in moderation.

At the store today, I picked up some beef flank steak and decided to stuff it with the random ingredients I had on hand. Stuffing flank steak is a great way to add some flavor to the meat and present it elegantly as well. I served this with a baby bella mushroom & roasted garlic brown rice pilaf and fresh spinach salad.

Stuffed Flank Steak
with Roasted Red Bell Pepper, Basil & Provolone
original Joelen recipe

1 1/2 lbs flank steak, butterflied
1 cup roasted red pepper slices, drained
6-8 slices of fresh basil leaves
4 slices provolone cheese
(garlic) salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Lay your steak flat on a cutting board and tenderize the steak with a fork or tenderizer. This allows the cut to be a litter easier to chew, as flank steak can be tough. Season one side with garlic salt (or plain salt) and freshly ground pepper.

On top of your steak, place a layer of roasted bell pepper slices, followed by fresh basil leaves and slices of provolone cheese.

Carefully take one end and begin rolling the steak up like a rug. Try to get the roll as even as possible so that the filling isn't too condensed in the middle. Take some kitchen string and tie the roll to keep the filling and shape in tact.

You can either bake the roll as is or cut the roll into portions. I cut the steak so that it wouldn't take so long to bake.


If you keep it intact, brush the roll with olive oil and season with more garlic salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Bake the roll in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

If you slice the roll, brush the roll slice with olive oil and season with more garlic salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Bake the roll slice in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. If you want to get some color on your beef flank roll, pop it in the broiler for 2 minutes or until you get the color you want.

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Grilled Korean-Style Steaks with Spicy Cilantro Sauce

For our Korean Wine & Dine event, my friend Howard prepared this dish. It's an excellent way to prepare steak with additional flavor. The cilantro sauce definitely puts it over the top but if you don't like cilantro, the steak alone is amazing...

Grilled Korean-Style Steaks with Spicy Cilantro Sauce
adapted from Gourmet

3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup medium-dry sherry
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
6 (1-inch-thick) boneless beef top loin (strip) steaks, about 3/4 pound each
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (including roots and stems)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon minced seeded fresh habanero or serrano chile (optional)
1 (4-inch-long) fresh hot red chile, chopped (optional)

Stir together 3/4 cup soy sauce, sherry, sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and red pepper flakes in a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish until sugar is dissolved, then add steaks, turning to coat. Marinate steaks, turning once, for 1 hour.

While the steaks marinate, mix together cilantro, vegetable oil, lime juice, remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, and chile if using. Set aside.

Heat grill to high heat, and when ready, grill steaks 3 to 4 minutes per each side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes. Slice crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices and then top with some sauce. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

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ASIAN BEEF SALAD WITH TANGY ASIAN DRESSING

I LOVE IT WHEN YOU GET FRESH! With an Asian twist

We survived a childhood of canned tuna, tv dinners, mystery meat in the school cafeteria, overcooked vegis, loads of candy (and the really bad kind), red dye #2, packaged sandwich meat and loads of meat, charred black on the gas grill, and potatoes. Some of us had the great good luck to have a budding Julia Child in the kitchen in the form of Mother, but the rest of us lived the true culinary adventure that was the Sixties and Seventies, the era when invention was king – or chef, however you want to look at it. Shake-n-Bake, Hamburger Helper, Tuna Noodle Casserole, Hungry Man tv dinners and Little Debbie snack cakes.

Ah, you recognize this, don't you?

So groovy!

And don’t forget the Take-Out!

Now, those were the days!

And then we went to college. As soon as we left home and mom’s cooking, cutting the proverbial apron strings, out came the sandals and t-shirts and on came the vegetarian status; shopping at the local co-op, buying shampoo and toothpaste from the health food store, buying our very first wok and tossing in all the vegetables we had on hand. Health first! We were the Aware Generation! We started buying cookbooks, evolving from The Vegetarian Epicure to Mastering the Art of French Cooking to Larousse Gastronomique, as the years rolled by and college turned into job turned into job and family. We were so proud of ourselves, we HAD finally left home and grown up!

And now what? Now we are trying to raise kids on good, healthy food, trying to keep our shopping cart local, organic and free of excess packaging. We gently tested the waters of the exotic and the gourmet before jumping in with a splash, all the while watching our kids go off on Saturday night to meet their friends at the local fast food or greasy kabob joint.

So how is it that our entire generation (ok, that may be an exaggeration, but seriously) turned into such gourmets, watching Food Network with a passion usually reserved for followers of evangelical pastors, scouting out the best local farmer’s market for the freshest, healthiest of greens, the closest gourmet food store where we can buy the most exotic of ingredients? We try out every spice and herb, growing some ourselves, hand make our own bread and keep abreast of the latest “It” chef. What happened?

My husband and I come from different ends of the spectrum, opposite sides of the world, practically different planets, yet we ended up at the same place, as did many of my food blogger friends. Reaction or awareness?

I grew up going to the local Chinese restaurant with my family for the occasional meal, Lemon Chicken, breaded and fried, smothered in a sticky, thick, sweet sauce, egg rolls filled with I-never-knew what but whatever it was was gray and tasty, all wrapped up in that thick, deep-fried shell and dipped into whatever sickly sweet sauce we could squeeze out of those little packets. And always finished up with a Fortune Cookie! It was such a treat!

During our wok-n-roll phase in college, the restaurant came home in the form broccoli, carrots, beans sprouts, water chestnuts and a chicken breast, all tossed together in a splash of soy sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil. Rather bland, but oh so healthy, and wasn’t that just the point? But as we traveled, as foreign cuisines hit our shores and became all the rage, as ethnic food products and once-unknown ingredients became common place and stocked in every grocery across the country, we were able to hone our cooking skills and put something wonderful, something clean, fresh and, if not authentic, then at least delicious on the table!


ASIAN BEEF SALAD with TANGY ASIAN DRESSING


Here is a delicious, incredibly healthy salad, as versatile as it is easy, dressed with a tangy Asian-inspired vinaigrette and tossed at the last minute with a flash-seared marinated steak, thinly sliced. Put in anything that is in season, whatever is at hand, replace the steak with chicken tenders or spiced strips of lamb, and this is a meal in itself, loved by everyone!

I have even brought this salad on a picnic with the mixed vegetables in one large plastic container, the seared steak in another already sliced, the dressing in a jelly jar. Once at the picnic and ready to eat, I simply tossed it all together and served delighting all!

ASIAN SALAD DRESSING

4 Tbs fresh lime juice *
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs light soy sauce
large pinch of light brown sugar
1 Tbs freshly peeled and grated ginger, or ¼ to ½ tsp ground ginger to taste
1 clove garlic, finely minced
a few spring onions, white and light green parts only, sliced thinly
a handful of fresh coriander, chopped

* if no limes are available, this can be done with lemon juice, but add tablespoon by tablespoon until desired tartness


Blend everything together in a jar with a lid, cover tightly and shake for all you’re worth.


ASIAN BEEF SALAD
For 4

A selection of fresh vegetables that can be eaten raw :

A couple of carrots
A large handful of fresh bean sprouts
6 large white mushrooms
A pint of cherry tomatoes or 2 or 3 salad tomatoes
Small bunch of spring onions
Fresh greens, including rocket (this bitter green is perfect here)
And if you like :
Jarred baby corns
Jarred artichokes hearts
(you can also add fresh broccoli or cauliflower flowerets, water chestnuts, cucumbers, even roasted red peppers)
Large bouquet fresh coriander
Handful of unsalted peanuts
A good quality, tender steak of your choice


Douse the steak in soy sauce and sesame oil and let rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes while preparing the vegetables.

Chop all of the vegetables into largish bite-sized pieces. Drain whatever vegetables you have that are in jars. Chop the coriander.


Place the peanuts in a kitchen towel or, better yet, in a plastic sandwich bag and pound with a mallet or wooden rolling pin until chunky (not powder).


Sear the steak in a large, non-stick frying pan after having shaken off excess marinade, first on one side, then the other, over high heat. The outside should be well browned and crispy looking while the inside undercooked, rosy and tender.


Remove the meat onto a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes before thinly slicing.


In a large salad bowl, toss all of the vegetables together along with half the chopped peanuts, half the chopped spring onions and half the chopped coriander.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well, until everything is coated.


Just before serving, add the warm sliced meat, toss quickly, sprinkle on a bit more peanuts, onions and coriander and serve. Place the rest of the peanuts, onions and coriander in a bowl in case someone would like more on their salad.


Beautiful!

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