Beef Stew, Mostly in the Oven

I made a really good beef stew a little while ago and I don't remember exactly how I did it.  Tonight I made another beef stew and it was also quite good indeed, so I thought I'd better post the recipe here so as not to lose it.  Also I sort of liked that this one does most of its cooking in the oven.. although it doesn't really make all that much difference and you could just do it on the stovetop if you wanted to.

It is basically this recipe: https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/beef-stew-with-carrots-potatoes.html... I only made a couple of small adjustments this time - next time there is one other one I would want to make, and that is to add canned tomatoes.  I simply prefer a beef stew with canned tomatoes in it.  I will include the tomatoes in my version so I don't forget (just be aware that I've never tried actually making this as written)!

Ingredients

• 3 lbs beef cut in chunks (either stewing beef or fancier beef which will probably be even yummier
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
• 3 tbs olive oil
• a sack of pearl onions (or 2 med onions cut in chunks)
• 7 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1.5 tbs tomato paste (this is where the tubes come in handy!)
• 1/4 cup white flour
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 cups broth, preferably homemade (beef or chicken is fine)
• 1 large can tomatoes with liquid (instead of the 2 cups water in the original)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme (or like me use a little bundle of fresh thyme tied with string)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup cranberry sauce or lingonberry jelly (if that's what you happen to have in your fridge)... if you don't have either, substitute whatever seems reasonable (the recipe called for 1.5 tsp sugar)
• 4 large peeled carrots cut in 1-inch chunks on the diagonal
• 1 lb potatoes cut into similar sized chunks as the carrots (peeled if the peels are thick)
• frozen peas (optional) 
• Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• fresh chopped parsley for serving (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 325 and position a rack in the lower-middle
2. Prepare the pearl onions, if using - blanch for 2 minutes then submerse in ice water so you can easily remove the skins
3. Pat the beef chunks dry with paper towel
4. Season the beef with the salt and pepper mixture
5. In a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Brown the meat in 3 batches, turning with tongs, for about 5 minutes per batch; add one tablespoon more oil for each batch. (To sear the meat properly, do not crowd the pan and let the meat develop a nice brown crust before turning with tongs.) Transfer the meat to a large plate and set aside.
6. Add the onions, garlic, and balsamic vinegar to the pan. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping the brown bits from bottom of the pan, for about 3-5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more. Add the beef with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with the flour. Stir with wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. 
7. Add the wine, beef broth, canned tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, and berry sauce/sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, transfer to the preheated oven, and braise for 2 hours. 
8. Remove the pot from the oven and add the carrots and potatoes. Cover and place back in oven for about an hour more, or until the vegetables are cooked, the broth is thickened, and the meat is tender. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. I might add a little Worcestershire sauce at this point next time around. If you want to, add some frozen peas.
9. Garnish with fresh parsley and eat with hot biscuits!

Cold-Poached Salmon

I've never poached anything before... and it's too cold and rainy tonight for the BBQ, which is how I have recently been preparing salmon.  So I decided to give it a try.  I read a few recipes and articles including one that recommended cold-poaching over regular poaching.  The author compared the results to sous-vide cooking and it sounded good so I decided to give it a try. 

.... and here we are so clearly the results were tasty enough that it's something I would recommend!

Ingredients

• Salmon fillet(s) that will fit in a flat-bottomed pan (I had 2 large fillets about an inch thick)
• 1/2 cup leftover white wine (we just happened to have some hanging around)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• Some herbs for poaching - I used dried dill, a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, and some fresh parsley
•  Fresh herbs for garnish (in my case a few chives and some parsley)

Method

1. Start with cold fish from the fridge. That's how it usually is anyhow, so no problem.
2. Put the wine and water and garlic and herbs in a pan on the stove top
3. Place the salmon, skin side down, into the cold water/wine mixture
4. Oh, I just remembered that one of the recipes said to put some butter on top of the fillets but I forgot to do that.  Seemed like a good idea though!
5. Turn the heat on to quite low (I think I started around 3 or 4 out of 10 on the dial)
6. Allow the water to slowly come to a simmer (not a heavy boil)... turn the heat down even lower once it gets going (2/10) to keep things from getting too hot
7. I didn't know whether I should put a lid on or not. I didn't for a long time (like around 12 minutes or more) but then I thought maybe I should...
8. So after 12 minutes or so I put a lid on and then the salmon quickly got opaque on top within about 2-3 mins with the lid on.
9. Once the salmon is opaque, take it off the heat and gently lift the fillets out of the pan onto a serving platter
10. Top the fish with the fresh chives and parsley.

Topping

I think traditionally you'd have some kind of creamy yogourt-dill-type sauce on poached salmon, but that's just not my style.

Instead, I happened to have a pile of pomegranate seeds in the fridge so I cooked up a tiny batch of pomegranate-butter syrup which I drizzled over the fish.  I made that just by smushing the pomegranate seeds to get the juice out, discarding the seedy bits, and simmering it on the stove in a small pot for about 5-10 minutes to reduce it down to a syrup.  I added a bit of butter to the resulting syrup and stirred it together.  I think it was a good accompaniment (but strong, so it didn't take much!). 

That said, if you don't want dill-yogourt sauce either and you don't happen to have pomegranate to get rid of then a little squeeze of fresh lemon would surely be just lovely.

Good served with: oven-roasted baby potatoes + onions and a fresh green salad

Super Simple Sauteed Zucchini

I had a bunch of cut up zucchini sitting in the fridge that needed eating.  I decided to just keep it simple and fry it up as a side dish for our picnic lunch.  Often I find myself thinking I need to make something complicated for it to be good, but I have been trying to remind myself lately that simple is good too, and often more baby-friendly.

Ready to picnic!

Ingredients

• some quantity of zucchini, cut up into whatever size and shape you like (mine were sliced and halved/quartered)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• olive oil
• splash of soya sauce
• pepper

Method

1. Heat oil in pan
2. Add garlic, fry till fragrant
3. Add zucchini - sauté just until outsides don't look raw
4. Add the splash of soya sauce (not too much) and toss to coat zucchini
5. Fry until the steam starts to die down a little and the zucchini is still firm 
6. Grind some fresh pepper over it and remove from heat

It feels so decadent and delightful to add a little cooked side dish like this to sandwiches or leftovers or whatever easy lunch you're making. And it only takes a few minutes, especially if your zucchini happens to be cut up ahead of time!

Lemon Cheesecake

I've made a couple of cheesecakes lately that were loosely based on the following recipe: https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/other-dessert/italian-lemon-biscotti-cheesecake.html

The first had a biscotti crust only because we happened to have a pile of leftover biscotti.  The next was graham crackers and it was good too.  Sometimes I like using Anna's Cookies for a slightly different flavour. UPDATE on the crust: now we use half nuts and half cookies to make it less sugary. If you wanted to make this gluten free you could probably just smush some ground/chopped nuts in the pan and I'm sure it would do the trick.

Ingredients

CRUST

• 1 c finely crushed graham crackers/anna's cookies/biscotti
• 1 c finely chopped nuts (just almonds works well or whatever type you like or a mix)
• 1/3 c butter, melted

LEMON CHEESECAKE

• 1kg spreadable cream cheese (either leftover from a bar mitzvah or purchased at Costco) OR use 3 8oz blocks and WHIP IT GOOD 
• a generous 1/2 c sugar (original called for 3/4 cups but I do a bit less)
• 1 tsp lemon zest, grated
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice, fresh
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 eggs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350'F
2. MIX crushed biscotti/graham crackers and melted butter. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9 inch springform pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
3. BEAT cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest, juice and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
4. BAKE 55 min. to 1 hour or until center is almost set.
5. Let cool then place in refrigerator - best to let it sit for at least 4 hours before slicing (if you can wait!)

French Onion Soup

Rich Beef Stock

+

Epicurious French Onion Soup

+

The dusty old soup bowl set that has sat in our cupboard unused for 4 years

=

a) soup too delicious to stop and take a picture of the result

b) s(o)uper yumminess

c) not nearly as much soup as we expected, given all the onion

d) something we will definitely make again
e) all of the above

the correct answer is e.

Veggie Burger Hash and Cabbage Slaw

I have happened upon an accidental creation which turned out to be quite delicious... here's what happened.

1. The night before we were talking about how yummy lettuce wraps are.
2. We had just returned from vacation and had very little food in the fridge.
3. I had a supply of frozen beet and carrot veggie burgers in the freezer.
4. I got distracted while heating the veggie burgers in a cast iron frying pan, and the next thing I knew they were rather blackened on the one side.
5. In my hurry to flip the burgers, one of them fell to pieces and became a mess of veggie burger bits.
6. We had half a cabbage and some cilantro in the fridge, and ilan LOVES cabbage.
... suddenly, it all came together and inspiration struck!

I shaved up the cabbage, tossed it with cilantro and a light dressing of rice vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper.  I put this mixture in the bottom of a couple of bowls to make little nests then topped it with the fallen apart, extra-crispy veggie burger hash.  So easy to make (provided you have some of the burgers on hand) and super delish!

 

Here's a recipe:

Ingredients 

(serves 2 - scale as you'd like):

2, 3, or 4 Baked Beet-and-Carrot Burgers, depending on their size and how hungry you are (it's fine if they're frozen at this point)
1/4 head of cabbage
as much cilantro as you'd like (about a half bunch?)
2-3 tbs olive oil
2-3 tbs rice vinegar (or other light vinegar such as apple cider)
salt and pepper to taste
sugar to taste  (about 1/2 tsp)

Directions

1. Put a little oil in a frying pan and heat veggies burgers over medium heat with a lid on.  Once they are browned or lightly blackened on the one side, you will flip them over, fry them a bit more, and break them up into bits.  Fry enough that some of the bits get a little crispy-toasty.
2. Meanwhile as the burgers are cooking, finely slice the cabbage like you would for coleslaw.  Chop up the cilantro.  Combine the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar into a salad dressing.  Toss cabbage with cilantro and dressing in a large bowl.
3. Arrange the cabbage mixture in serving bowls into a nest shape.  Divide the veggie burger scramble into the nests and serve warm.