String beans with shitake and shallots. (Photograph courtesy I. Winicov Harrington)
Two massive snowstorms on adjoining weekends are doubtless observed with a little bit of concern even in Maine. First, we had the whiteout after which lower than every week later one other layer of snow with sleet glazing every thing with a thick layer of ice. Icing on a cake is the ultimate contact to boost a scrumptious product, however a layer of ice that requires chopping with a shovel to take away the snow under is just certain to boost frustration.
For the cook dinner, such days are designed to be spent within the kitchen. They are perfect for rediscovering previous recipes for gradual cooked dishes to fragrance the nice and cozy kitchen. Stews of all sorts come to thoughts with their hearty flavors to heat anybody, whether or not they have been battling the weather or simply watching the swirling ice crystals exterior from a window. Thumbing by way of my previous, yellowed copy of Fernande Garvin’s “The Artwork of French Cooking” (1958), one other recipe caught my eye, considerably much like the extra acquainted Boef Bourguignon, however with the added flavors of salt pork or in my barely modified model, bacon.
Boef ‘en Daube’
Put together the greens by slicing 2 medium onions, 2 medium carrots sliced in 1-inch items, and a pair of chopped garlic cloves.
Prepare dinner 3 slices of thick bacon in a pan, take away at solely partially crisp stage and place within the backside of a Dutch oven or a heavy baking pot with a good lid. Layer the greens on prime of the bacon.
Pour off many of the fats from the pan and shortly brown in batches, 1 and 1/2 lb sirloin ideas minimize in 1 and 1/2-inch items. Layer the browned meat on prime of the greens, sprinkle with 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tsp thyme and add 1 bay leaf.
Scrape the browned bits from the pan with 2 cups dry purple wine and pour over the meat. Cowl tightly and bake at 350 levels 2 hours.
Boef “en Daube.” (Photograph courtesy I. Winicov Harrington)
Whereas the meat is baking, slice 4 oz recent mushrooms and fry them in 2 tbsp butter, seasoning with salt and pepper. After two hours baking, uncover the meat, add the mushrooms, and stir in 2 tbsp tomato paste dissolved in 1/3 cup purple wine. Cowl the pot tightly once more and proceed to bake for a further half-hour. Serve scorching with flat noodles or potatoes. This dish will be ready upfront and reheated or frozen, with enhanced flavors upon reheating.
To maintain our dinner plates colourful, our flavorful beef was accompanied by recent inexperienced beans paired with shiitake mushrooms and crisped shallots.
String beans with shiitake and shallots
Trim, wash and cook dinner 3/4 lb inexperienced string beans in salted water for 3 minutes. Chill in ice water to crisp.
Warmth 2 tbsp grapeseed oil in a big pan and fry 2 thinly sliced massive shallots to crisp. Take away from the pan, add 2 tbsp butter and fry 4 oz sliced shiitake to brown 3-4 minutes with out turning, stir mushrooms and season with salt and pepper and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Cut back warmth, add 2 extra tbsp butter and the beans. Toss the beans with melted butter and mushrooms to warmth, sprinkle with 1-2 tbsp purple wine vinegar. Take away from warmth and toss with the shallots. Serve sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.
It certainly could also be chilly exterior, however the creating fragrances of a slow-cooked meal are certain to permeate the entire home and can push back the coolness with a most savory dinner.
(I. Winicov Harrington, of Waldoboro, is the creator of “The right way to Eat Wholesome and Effectively for Much less Than $5.00 a Day: The Good-Frugal Meals Plan.” For extra data, go to winicov-harrington.com.)
