Boeuf Bourguignon and the 50th post!

Boeuf Bourguignon

“I cook with wine, sometimes, I even add it to the food I cook” – Julia Child

Hello all!!!

Yeah! I’m still here, and this is my 50th post!!! So much has happen since I started writing this blog, I’ve got a bit lost myself a few time…

When I started this blog, I was really into all kinds of food, but mostly the sweets… then I took a break because of lack of time, made a come back, and took a break because of a change of diet… You might have notice that since the beginning of this year, it has been trending healthier around here… Well, yes, for the benefit of my health (and I reassure you, no big drama health wise, just some re-adjustment to do) I started to see a Naturopathic doctor. That’s the way I’ve been wanted to go for a while, taking care of myself, and my family the simplest and most natural way possible. As my doctor recommended, at least for while, to try to stay away from dairy, grains and sugar, it quickly became evident that a Paleo diet was the way to go. Remember a few posts ago, I was kind of making fun of the Paleo directives in Sugar Free, Butter Free Peanut Butter Muffins. Am I Paleo yet?. Well since, I have research it, and it started to make really a lot of sense, at least for me, to go that route. But of course, I love food, so I will not follow it 100%, unless, really, my health depends on it, and also I have limitation when it comes to make a family dinner that everyone will eat and the cost of eating grass fed meat, and organics, is just not in our budget. But I have learned to make better choices with what I can find around me and it’s working pretty good!

Anyhow, if you are interested in reading more about Paleo, I really recommend scrolling through this web-site, it explains all the guideline and the why of which food is good or bad: http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-101/. Also, it is important to know that it is not a diet to loose weight, but rather to go healthy, which this post explains well: http://stuffyoushould.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/you-should-stop-dieting/. What I like about this way of eating is that it en-lights you on facts that fat and meats are not bad for you if you choose them wisely, but the most important thing is to stay away from processed food, which I can totally deal with!!!

So, Boeuf Bourguignon, is it Paleo? Hey why not, it’s all natural ingredients, and most Paleo dieters will drink wine if they have to choose an alcohol, as it’s not made from grains…

Never made BB? Of course you could go with the Julia Child version, but it is a bit complicated and long for a 1st timer; http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe/julia-childs-beef-bourguignon-8222804. Mine is the same ingredients pretty much, but just easier, which is very much like this recipe found on Epicurious: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Boeuf-Bourguignon-104754.

Because i’m a bit lazy lately about writing, I copied this last recipe for the post, and changed the ingredients to what I have used and a few instructions. But the technique is all the same, and OMG the results!!!

It is a super classic homey comfy stew that everyone loves! Best served on fresh pasta, or with a side of mash potaoes. For Paleo, you could do a celery root mash, or a side of roasted veggies, like those amazing Brussels Spouts I made last time! recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2/index.html, I just added a bit of mash garlic to it 😉

 

• 1/4 pound thick-sliced bacon
• 3 pounds boneless beef chuck
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (omit for Paleo or gluten free, or sprinkle a bit of arrowroot starch)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (or more OO for dairy free version)
• 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 (4-inch) piece of celery
• 4 fresh parsley stems (no leaves)
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves (not California)
• 2 cloves
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 (750-ml) bottle dry red wine (preferably Burgundy or Côtes du Rhône)
• 1 pound small (1 1/2-inch) boiling onions or pearl onions (optional)
• 1 pound mushrooms, quartered if large

Cook bacon in large heavy pot that can contain the whole stew, then scoop the bacon out onto a paper towel, leaving the fat in the pan.

Pat beef dry and season with salt and pepper. Divide flour and beef between 2 (1-quart) sealable plastic bags, seal, then shake to coat meat.

Add 1‚ tablespoons oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter into the pot with bacon fat, over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown beef well on all sides in 2 or 3 batches, without crowding, adding remaining ‚ tablespoon oil as needed. Transfer to a bowl.

Pour off any excess oil from pot, then add wine to pot. Deglaze by boiling over high heat 1 minute, stirring and scraping up brown bits, then pour over beef.

Tie celery, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and cloves together with kitchen string to make a bouquet garni (tuck cloves into celery so they don’t fall out).

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in the same pot over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté chopped onions, garlic, and carrots, then stirring, until onions are pale golden, about 5 minutes. Add remaining wine, stock, meat with juices, and bouquet garni and simmer gently, partially covered, until meat is tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. This can be done in a slow cooker, of dutch oven. Check the meat once in while to make sure it’s tender.

Optional: While meat simmers, blanch boiling onions in boiling salted water 1 minute and drain in a colander. Rinse under cold running water, then peel. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then saute
 boiling onions, stirring occasionally, until browned in patches. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 cups water (1 1/2 cups if using pearl onions), then simmer, partially covered, until onions are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to a glaze, 5 to 10 minutes.

Heat remaining tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then saute
 mushrooms, stirring, until golden brown and any liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir onions and mushrooms into stew and cook 10 minutes. Remove bouquet garni and skim any fat from surface of stew. Season with salt and pepper.

If the sauce is too thin, strained everything out, and place the sauce back on medium high heat and let it reduce to desired consistency (you can add more flour or starch for thickening). Not too much! you want to make sure you have enough sauce remaining!

Cooks’ note:·Boeuf bourguignon may be made 1 day ahead. Cool, uncovered, then chill, covered (it tastes even better made ahead because it gives the flavors time to develop). If making ahead, it’s easier to remove fat from surface after chilling.

Bon appetit!!!!

XOXO – Tartine

You might also like:

Veal & Carrots Tagine.

Tailgate Chili Con Carne, THE must for your Super Bowl Party!!!

Ham and Cheese Soufflé, with foolproof tips!

 

Tailgate Chili Con Carne, THE must for your Super Bowl Party!!!

Tailgate Chili Con Carne

What best than a good heart warming Chili to serve at your Super Bowl party? It’s easy, yummy, can be prepared in advance and left in the pot all day long, and honestly, who doesn’t like Chili? Plus it’s gluten free, dairy free and you can easily make it vegetarian or vegan!

1st a little bit of food fact about Chili Con Carne, did you know that this is a purely fabricated American dish? NONO, it’s not Mexican! Thank you Wikipedia…

In Spanish, the “chili” refers to a chile pepper and “carne” means meat.

The recipe used by American frontier settlers consisted of dried beef, suet, dried chili peppers and salt, which were pounded together, formed into bricks and left to dry, which could then be boiled in pots on the trail.

The San Antonio Chili Stand, in operation at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, helped people from other parts of the country taste and appreciate chili. San Antonio was a significant tourist destination and helped Texas-style chili con carne spread throughout the South and West. Chili con carne is the official dish of the U.S. state of Texas as designated by the House Concurrent Resolution Number 18 of the 65th Texas Legislature during its regular session in 1977.

 

I started with a recipe from the web a while ago, and slowly customized it. My favorite meat blend is beef and lamb! You can also substitute meat with roasted veggies (carrots, zucchini, eggplants…). Here is my ingredients list; you know what to do next…

You don’t? Well pretty much, just brown the meat in a large pot on medium high, remove the extra fat, add all the other ingredients in the order below, while keeping the pot on medium low (keep corn last) and simmer for at least 2 hours, low and covered. You can also put everything (after browning the meat) in a slow cooker on low for 4 to 6 hours. I like to prepare my Chili the day before, leave it the slow cooker turned off overnight, and next day, turn the slow cooker back on, on low setting while serving; double cooked is always best for dishes like meat stew and Chili, plus the slow cooker keeps it warm while serving! Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and bread slices!

If not hosting a big party, you can freeze in portions. It holds very well in the freezer for at least 3 months, and you’ll always have some on hand!

Veal & Carrots Tagine.

You may know or not, right now is Ramadan. Where I live today, no one around me is observing Ramadan. But in France, a few of my friends were. Moroccans or Tunisians for the most part, my friends and their families who were following this month-long fast, were always eager to share with others their wonderful sundown dinner. As soon as the sun comes down, the food comes out! And oh my! What food!!! I love pretty much all food dishes from North Africa: the Couscous (which for them is not only the bulgur, but a whole meal with meats, veggies and sausages cooked together), the pastries (way too time consuming to do for me) and of course, the Tagines!!!! In thousand different sorts, each families seemed to have their own recipe! So don’t stress yourself searching for THE recipe, there isn’t one. There are basics ingredients that are similar, but the combination remains up to your liking.
I have a few favorite, like chicken with lemons, lamb with prunes, or the all vegetarian version. That day, I had a lot of carrots to use, so I tried veal and carrots.
Although Tagines get their name from the dish they are cooked into (a base unit that is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone or dome-shaped cover that sits on the base during cooking. The cover is so designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom (thanks Wiki)), you don’t need that specific dish to get great results. A good roasting pan with a lid will do, trust me, that’s what I used all those years before I got offered the fancy Le Creuset Tagine dish!
If you like combination of meat and fruits, sweet and spices, you will love Tagines! Just google it and pick whatever version sounds the best to you! But this one my friends ( from a french cooking book), doesn’t need a change to it, it was perfect!

صادق

(apparently, it’s Arabic for Bon Appetit!)

 

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 2 lbs veal shank or shoulder, in big chunks
• 1 & 1/4 lbs carrots peeled and cut in big chunks
• a dozen dried apricots
• 2 garlic gloves, minced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup orange fresh juice
• 1 cup of chicken or veal broth
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T honey

The spices

• 10 black peppercorn, grinned
• 1 t fresh minced ginger
• 1 t powdered cumin
• 1 t curcuma
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/2 t saffron
• 1 clove

Instructions

• Braise the onion and garlic with 1 T of oil in a large sauté pan, on medium heat, until golden. Remove and place in the Tagine dish.
• Using the same pan, add the remain oil and braise the veal chunks until golden brown, on medium-high heat. Once all seared, lower the heat to low. Add all the spices and mix well to coat all the meat. Then add the orange juice and broth. Let simmer for 5 min.
• Place the carrots and apricots on top of the onions in the dish. Then add the veal on top, pour the cooking juices all over. Drizzle everything with honey.
• Cover and cook for in a preheated oven at 400, for about an hour, or until the meat and carrots are fork tender. Check at 30 and 45 min to make sure there is still liquids in your dish. If not, or low, add more water or broth. At the end, you should have just a little sauce remaining and it should look syrupy.
• Serve with couscous, quinoa or potatoes and some Harissa (a Tunisian hot chili sauce) or chili flakes

Find the easy to share, email and print recipe on my Recipage.

Related articles

• Recipes: A Week’s Worth of Moroccan Dishes from Jenny Morris (moroccotomorrow.org)
• ’80 Plates’ Episode 4: Tagines & Tantrums (mercurynews.com)
• My New Tagine (atomickaleidoscope.wordpress.com)