Perfect Beef Stew

Last week we had one of those exceptionally cold California evenings. Now I know better than to say it was "cold" in comparison to places with much more extreme seasons but nonetheless it called for something warm in a bowl which could be consumed with copious amounts of wine:) That being said I started to read dozens of stew recipes and even thought about attempting Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon. After browsing too many recipes on the old i-phone in the parking lot outside of the grocery store I landed on a great recipe from Tyler Florence for The Ultimate Beef Stew.  Since I can never seem to follow a recipe verbatim the below is an adaptation pretty close to his- but I thought mine was just perfect:)

Melt the butter

Season the beef cubes

Brown in batches

Make/buy a rad bouquet garni

Cooking in wine

Veggies ready for the pot

Everybody in the pool

30 minutes later...

Perfect Beef Stew
Adapted from Tyler Florence, The Ultimate Beef Stew
Ingredients:

·         1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for frying, plus more to drizzle

·         3 tablespoons butter

·         2 cups all-purpose flour

·         2 to 3 pounds beef chuck shoulder roast, cut into 2-inch pieces (I have used Top Round roast)

·         Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

·         1 bottle good quality dry red wine (I used our ‘09 Tempranillo)

·         8 fresh thyme sprigs

·         6 garlic cloves, smashed

·         1 bouquet garni (I like Albert Menes prepared sachets)

·         2 1/2 cups beef stock

·         9 small new potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut in 1/2

·         1/2 pound carrots, peeled and sliced

·         1 pound white mushrooms, cut in ½ (I used Cremini)

Directions

1. Preheat a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat with the oil and butter.
2. While the pan is heating, arrange the flour on a large dish. Season the cubed beef with some salt and freshly ground black pepper and then toss in the flour to coat. Shake off the excess flour and add the beef chunks in a single layer to the hot pan, being careful not to over crowd the pan, you might have to work in batches. Thoroughly brown all of the cubes on all sides. Once all the meat has been browned remove it to a plate and reserve.
3. Add the wine to the pan and bring up to a simmer while you scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon being sure to loosen up all those tasty bits. Once the wine is hot add the browned meat, thyme, smashed garlic, bouquet garni, freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste, and beef stock. Bring the mixture up to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until the liquids start to thicken, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 1/2 hours.
4. After 2 hours add halved potatoes, sliced carrots, and mushrooms, along with a pinch of sugar to balance out the acid from the red wine. Turn the heat up slightly and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes more, until the vegetables and meat are tender. Season with salt and pepper and remove the thyme sprigs.

To serve, place the stew in a soup bowl, drizzle with olive oil and  serve with a hearty red wine and a nice hot loaf of crusty bread!

Simple Pizza Dough

I love pizza. I haven't actually met a pizza, pie, pizzette or flatbread I didn't like, but my true favorites are ones with a tasty dough and few toppings. I have been keeping an eye out for a fairly simple  recipe with few ingredients so that the experience of making and eating this favorite food are equally enjoyable. My ideal night is one in which a dinner comes together easily while sipping on a glass of wine and talking about what far away place we would imagine ourselves eating that meal in it's authentic form. I came accross this fool-proof dough recipe from Smitten Kitchen and recently had a night just like that. Below is the original recipe with just a few changes...

Simple Pizza Dough

Makes enough for one small, thin crust pizza.

• 1 1/2 cups flour (I've used bread flour before too)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil, stirring mixture into as close to a ball as you can. Dump all clumps and floury bits onto a lightly floured surface and knead everything into a homogeneous ball.
2. Knead it for just a minute or two. Lightly oil the bowl -use the same bowl- less mess! — dump the dough in, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it in plastic wrap and leave it undisturbed for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size.
3. Dump it back on the floured counter, and gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hands. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under that plastic wrap for 20 more minutes.
4. Pre-heat your oven to its top temperature (make sure its clean) & sprinkle a pizza stone with cornmeal (I like to preheat my stone before doing this so the pizza goes into a hot oven on a hot surface) 
5. Roll out the pizza, toss on whatever topping and seasonings you like. Less is more with toppings and cheese so the bread itself can get nice and crispy and all toppings can cook through.
6. Bake 12 minutes or so and meanwhile make a nice salad to accompany your flabread pizza, oh and don't forget the wine...

Once golden & crisp remove from the oven...

Now enjoy your homemade pie... in our case we enjoyed some even before taking the photo:)

Winter Green & White Bean Stew

Green Kale, Purple Kale, Red & Green Chard

My co-worker Linda is one of those women I so envy for their ability to cultivate and care for a beautiful and bountiful garden. I myself love to buy fresh veggies at the farmers market but have managed to kill four basil plants since Christmas. I am one to adorn most of our planters with succulants. Last week Linda brought me a bag filled with a bounty of winter greens which was the inspiration for this stew. After much recipe hunting I landed on this one from Bon Appetit Magazine and with just s few changes (based on what I had on hand) this was a wintery delight:)

Kale and White Bean Stew

Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine

February 2009                                     

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds winter greens, center ribs and stems removed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1cup chopped peeled carrots
• 1cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped shallots (about 4)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 15-ounce cans white beans (preferably organic), drained
• 4 cups(or more) low sodium chicken broth
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1bay leaf
• 1tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons assorted chopped fresh herbs (I used parsely, basil and fresh tarragon)

Preparation

• Cook kale in large pot of boiling salted water 1 minute. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain. Squeeze out excess water. Coarsely chop kale. 

Boy howdy do greens shrink when blanched

Mirepoix ready to go

• Heat olive oil in medium pot over medium heat. Add chopped carrots, celery, shallots, and garlic; cook until soft, stirring, about 15 minutes (do not brown vegetables). Add white wine and simmer until liquid is slightly reduced, about 7 minutes. Add white beans, 4 cups broth, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes. Add kale and simmer 5 minutes longer. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Add more broth by 1/2 cupfuls to thin stew, if desired. Mix in Sherry wine vinegar and chopped fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper.  Garnish with a sprinkling of parmigiano-reggiano and more fresh herbs.

Original Recipe