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Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

BEST Beef Stew Recipe

February 16, 2013 by Mary Frances 21 Comments

Best beef ste on a plate with mashed potatoes - adapted Lee Bailey's recipes.Last weekend, I promised you this BEST Beef Stew recipe, so here it is! As Monday is a holiday, I hope that you’ll find time to make it this weekend. It is so rich and delicious.

These recipes can also easily be cut in half if you don’t have a big crowd, as I did last weekend for just the two of us and we finished the last of our leftovers for lunch today. Yummy.

It really is better to make it a day or two before you plan on serving it, for this allows you to degrease it and let the flavors meld together and the whole thing becomes even richer.

The basis for these recipes, comes from Lee Bailey’s cookbook, Long Weekends, but I have made many changes, particularly in the BEST Beef Stew recipe. Omit the ancho chilis if you don’t like a bit of spice. I think the mashed potato recipe is brilliant with the addition of the cauliflower. It makes them lighter and even more delicious. If you think the title of stew is too plebeian, call it a braise or even beef bourguignon. Enjoy!!

BEST BEEF STEW RECIPE – serves 8

4 pounds boneless rump pot roast or chuck pot roast, cut into 1 x 2-inch chunks
2 cups hearty red wine
½ lb. pancetta, cut into ¼” dice
2 tbs. olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
7 carrots, scraped and sliced ¼” thick
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken or veal stock
3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tbs. tomato paste
2 small dried ancho chilis
1½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 lb. white mushrooms, sautéed – see recipe below

Place the beef in a crockery bowl, add the wine, cover, and marinate, refrigerated, for 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Boil some water. Place dried ancho chilis in a bowl and cover with ½ – ¾ cup of water and let sit to soften for 20 minutes.

Place olive oil in a Dutch oven and add pancetta. Sauté until golden on medium heat. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Drain the meat, reserving the marinade. Dry the meat well and brown it in batches over high heat. Set aside.

Add the onions and carrots to the Dutch oven and sauté until wilted and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Meanwhile, take ancho chilis (remove the stem and a few seeds) and ½ cup of the water they were soaking in and puree in a food processor. Set aside.

Pour out any oil that may be in the Dutch oven. Melt butter over medium heat in the Dutch oven and stir in flour. Cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, using a whisk, until the roux turns a dark golden brown. Add the tomato paste and stir for a minute. Stir in the stock. This will foam up, so stand back. Simmer a minute or two, then stir in the garlic, ancho chili puree and salt and pepper. Add the sautéed vegetables, meat, bacon, and reserved marinade. Bring to a boil quickly on top of the stove. Cover and bake until tender, about 2 hours. Allow to cool, then refrigerate overnight.

Remove the stew from the refrigerator an hour before reheating. Lift off the congealed fat and discard. Reheat in a preheated 325 degree oven, covered, until bubbly, about 45 minutes.

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SAUTEED MUSHROOMS
While the stew is reheating, wash your mushrooms quickly and let dry thoroughly on paper towels. Trim ends and quarter. Heat 2 tbs. butter and 1 tbs. of olive oil in a heavy skillet on medium–high to high heat. As soon as the butter foam subsides, add the mushrooms and spread out over the bottom of the pan and do not touch the pan for 3 minutes. Then stir and flip the browned mushrooms over until they start to release the fat they have absorbed and brown some more, about 3 – 4 minutes more. Remove from heat and lift the mushrooms out of the skillet and stir in the finished stew.

If the sauce in your stew has reduced and is a bit too thick, thin it out with an extra cup of hot chicken stock.

Beef stew - marinated cubes of beef drying on paper towels.Browning carrots and onions for beef stew.

Browning the roux for beef stew.
Beef stew - browned meat  Beef stew finished in a pot

MASHED POTATOES AND CAULIFLOWER – adapted from Lee Bailey
– serves 8

As Lee Bailey says, you can boil the potatoes for this, but baking is better. Save the skins (sliced into strips), and at a later date butter and salt them and toast them for hors d’oeuvres. You can even grate a little cheese on top too.

2 generous cups cauliflower florets and tender stems
Whole or 2% milk
3 pounds russet potatoes, rubbed with oil and baked
1 large head roasted garlic
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rub scrubbed clean potatoes with oil, pierce the ends with a fork and bake for 45 – 60 minutes until done. The skin should feel crisp and the flesh beneath it should feel soft. At the same time, take a whole head of garlic and slice in half. Drizzle a little olive oil on the cut ends, salt and pepper and wrap in aluminum foil. Roast the garlic with the potatoes for 40 minutes, until soft and browned a little.

Cover the cauliflower with milk in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, being careful not to let it cook over (that’s why you use a large saucepan for this).  Turn back to slow boil and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes.

Scoop out the hot potato flesh into a large, warm bowl. Squeeze the soft garlic pulp into the potatoes, using as much or as little as you like. I use the whole head. Cut butter into pieces and mash in with a hand masher (do not use an electric mixer, as it will make the mixture glutinous). Drain the cauliflower, reserving milk. Mash in with the potatoes, adding about ¾ cup of the cauliflower milk. Add a little more milk if you would like the potatoes creamier. Salt and pepper to taste.

Butter a casserole and scrape the mixture in. Smooth the top and rub with a bit of butter to make a thin film on top. Set aside, covered with a tea towel, until ready to reheat.  (This may be done an hour before dinner).

To reheat, put into a preheated 325 degree oven, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Beef stew spinach salad with basil, beets pecorino, cashewsI served this with a baby spinach salad with basil leaves, roasted beets, Pecorino Romano cheese and toasted cashews, drizzled with a sherry vinaigrette. Toasted pine nuts would have been better, but I didn’t have any already toasted.

TIP: When toasting nuts for a recipe, always toast extra to have them ready to use on salads or green beans for another dinner. They will keep fine in a sealed plastic container.

 

Filed Under: Dinner, Meat, Salads, Sides Tagged With: baby spinach salad, beef stew, Julia Child, Lee Bailey's Long Weekends, mashed potatoes with cauliflower, pecorino Romano, roux, sauteed mushrooms, tips, toasting nuts

One fabulous beef stew to come

February 9, 2013 by Mary Frances 2 Comments

With all the blizzard storm warnings out yesterday, we got up early and stocked our larder for the weekend. Well it was pretty nasty on Friday, particularly with the gale-like winds, but NYC did not get hit so hard. We woke up this morning and it was all over, with just a foot of snow – so not so bad.
NYC blizzard of 2013 view from a Harlem apartment looking East on landmarked brownstones.Here’s the view from our apartment.

So yesterday, with the thought of staying put all weekend, I had decided to make a favorite beef stew recipe today, to serve for Sunday night dinner. I use a recipe from Lee Bailey’s Long Weekends cookbook, that I have adapted and changed but the basis is his. He is no longer with us on this earth, but I will tell you, most all of his recipes are great!! I first met him though his Food & Wine magazine contributions and then searched him out in other places as well.

I have a sneaky suspicion that beings in the afterlife do not eat food. They don’t need to, but they miss it. Now I know you think I’m a little crazy, but haven’t there been times when you have to have an extra bite or an extra sip of something and YOU really don’t want it but feel someone is making you do it? Maybe that is some being who wants a little taste through you??

Just musing….

I will post the recipe and pictures later. Right now, I gotta get cooking!

Filed Under: Dinner, Meat, Travel Tagged With: beef stew, Food & Wine magazine, Lee Bailey, Lee Bailey's Long Weekends, NYC blizzard of 2013, staying in all weekend

Gourmet fast food

February 7, 2013 by Mary Frances Leave a Comment

That’s what my husband calls my leftovers. While I really enjoy the process of cooking and find it a great way to unwind from the day, and I like the act of making up a great dish out of what I have on hand, working with the beautiful colors of the vegetables, herbs and spices. But when the week is busy, especially with evening work-related events, leftovers can be a lifesaver.

TIP: I only shop once a week – buying only what looks great in vegetables and figuring out what to make with them day by day. This is a time saver, and with the Internet you can always look up recipe ideas to match the ingredients you have on hand, or come back here to LOVE and check our recipe tab.

You can also make dishes that incorporate leftovers into a bigger meal – this is a way to quickly make a simple dish gourmet. I did this on last Friday night. I bought fresh catfish fillets, lightly coated them with flour, salt and pepper, and flash fried them in a little canola oil, and then topped them with the multi-use leftover fennel compote and it was fantastic!! To “freshen” the compote, I added in three chopped cherry tomatoes and tiny drizzle of olive oil, warmed it up in the microwave and a quick dinner was spectacular! TIP: I like to always have fresh tomatoes on hand and a few fresh herbs. With those, you can liven up any dish.
Fried catfish with fennel compote on a brown plate with sauteed Swiss chard and Jasmine rice.
Here is our plate with a little steamed Jasmine rice and sautéed Swiss chard with garlic. Delish and quick!!

When your husband wakes up the next morning and is still talking about the dinner the night before, you know it was good.

This is the thing: the more you cook, the more accumulated resources you have at hand to continue to cook better and better!

Filed Under: Dinner, Fish, Sides Tagged With: capers, fennel and tomato compote, fried catfish filets, gourmet fast food, gourmet leftovers, Jasmine rice, olives, Swiss chard sauteed with garlic and olive oil

Great Valentine’s Day and Super Bowl recipes

February 3, 2013 by Mary Frances 7 Comments

Our latest newsletter went out this past Thursday with two very special recipes, never before seen here and perfect for a Valentine’s Day dinner. If you haven’t signed up for it, you won’t receive it. But, you can sign up now, in the upper right hand column of this blog, and I will personally make sure you get one pronto.
LOVE_enewsletter_jan_2013-cropped

Also, don’t forget, our LOVE the secret ingredient aprons make a great gift for any time of the year, reminding you to always cook with LOVE. When you do, everything will always taste better! If you order by February 5th, you can still receive it in time for V-day!

And for the Super Bowl tonight, check out these recipes – Super Easy Nachos, Nacho Burgers, Artichoke dip, and my Bean Dip!

Enjoy!!Nachos-Full plate– Nachos made fresh and easy

Filed Under: Appetizers, Dinner Tagged With: artichoke dip, bean dip, great dips, LOVE aprons, Nacho burgers, nachos, newsletter, Super Bowl recipes, Valentine's Day gifts, Valentine's Day recipes

“Provence in Ancram”

January 30, 2013 by Mary Frances 26 Comments

Acrylic painting in Hudson by Mary accepted to juried art show at Hudson Opera House called "Provence In Ancram"This is not directly food related, but I have exciting news! One of my paintings, “Provence in Ancram,” (24″ x 30″) has been selected for the Columbia County Council on the Arts annual Juried Art Show at the Hudson Opera House (327 Warren Street, Hudson). The opening reception will be Saturday, Feb. 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. and I will be there! The show runs through March 25.

Filed Under: Dinner Tagged With: acrylic, Ancram, Columbia County, Hudson, Hudson Opera House, juried art show, juried show, painting

Zucchini, fennel, red pepper and mint torta

January 23, 2013 by Mary Frances 8 Comments

A serving of zucchini fennel and red pepper torta with mint on a plate.
Several of you asked for this recipe from our “Birthday Linner”. The truth is that my older son made it up, on the spot, based on vegetables that I had in the apartment, plus some herbs from our grocery store downstairs, which does not have a broad selection, particularly on a Sunday. He originally wanted some basil but they had none. He came back with a beautiful bunch of fresh mint instead. And, I just learned last night from my fellow cooking friend, Margaret, that mint is a relative of basil, so that was a very good choice indeed.

He meant to put in fresh grated Parmesan, but forgot. But as a dish in the middle of this many-course celebration, it did not need Parmesan. The clean tasting vegetables were a welcome interlude between the pasta with spinach and Pecorino Romano cheese and the very rich and super delicious short ribs with polenta.

This son is a big cook – he just gets in there and does things! Fearless and big, that’s what I call him. He says, “Thank you!”

Here’s a stab at his recipe.

ZUCCHINI, FENNEL, RED PEPPER AND MINT TORTA
3 zucchinis
1 and 1/2 fennel bulbs
2 large red peppers
3 – 4 tbs. olive oil
Salt
Pepper
½ bunch of fresh mint leaves

Broil red peppers, checking and turning until all skin is blackened. Using tongs, place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap until cool. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice zucchini and fennel on a mandoline, somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Using 1 or 2 tbs. of olive oil for each vegetable, toss separately in a bowl, with salt and pepper (test and taste for proper seasoning) and lay out each on separate baking sheets. Roast zucchini and fennel until crisp tender. Check in 20 minutes. The fennel will most likely take a little longer. This is why you keep them on separate baking sheets.

Peel the red pepper, core, remove the seeds and cut into 1 inch wide strips.
Layer the zucchini, fennel, red pepper and mint leaves in 10 inch round dish, repeating again until all is used up. Place a plate on top and weight it down to press ingredients together. We used a 28 oz. can of tomatoes with a large heavy mason jar of honey on top of the plate. Press for an hour or two. Then carefully slide the torta out, top side up, on a large round cake plate. Cut into pie wedge serving pieces and enjoy!

We used only two red peppers but three might be better. You could also add a layer of grated Parmesan cheese. We talked about that and then forget to do it.
Vegetable torta in a blue Dansk pan.cutting the vegetable torta on a crystal cake plate.

Filed Under: Dinner, First Course, Lunch, Sides, Vegetables Tagged With: fennel, mint leaves, olive oil, red pepper, torta, zucchini

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