Beef Bourguignon

In my previous post I declared I was back with healthy and delicious food. Lets slide this one in under delicious. I think my liberal use of bacon and butter disqualifies it from the former category.

So Julia Childs. She’s cool, I dig her, I kinda want to be like her, except I don’t have the patience. So I lovingly use her cookbook (emphasis on the word lovingly, look at how dog-eared this thing is….)

However, I have to change everything because sadly I am not living in Paris, being supported by my husband, trying to find things to fill my days while eating butter by the  spoonful. sigh. Maybe in my next life? The english translation of that rant is I change her recipes to skip a number of steps so that I am not in my kitchen for hours on end. I prefer practical to lazy thanks!

Beef Bourguignon (serves 6)

Ingredients:

6 slices of bacon, diced

3 lbs stewing beef, cubed into 1 inch cubes

1 onion, diced

1 large carrot, halved and sliced

2 tbsp all-purpose flour (mixed with some salt and pepper)

3 cups red wine

2 to 3 cups beef stock (or just enough so that the beef is just covered – we’ll get to this stage below)

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

2 garlic cloves (crushed with the palm of your hand)

1 lb of whole crimini mushrooms, quartered

1 bag of red pearl onions (this is about 18 to 24 onions), peeled (I put them in boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds and then run them under cold water before peeling. It makes peeling much easier)

Turn the over onto 450 degrees. In a cast iron pot heated to medium high heat cook the bacon until crisp, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the bacon fat brown the meat on all sides in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. Set aside browned pieces on a tray to collect the juices.

In the same pot throw in the carrot and onion and stir until slightly softened (about 5 minutes). Remove from pot and place in a bowl. Return the beef to the pot, stir in the flour so that it coats the meat, cover and place in the oven for 2 minutes. Remove from oven, stir thoroughly, cover and put back in the oven for another 2 minutes.

Once you’ve removed the pot from the oven turn it down to 325 degrees. Place the bacon and the vegetables back into the pot with the beef and add the wine, bay leaf , thyme, tomato paste and garlic cloves and stock (only add enough stock to slightly cover the beef, if that is a bit more or less than the recipe calls for that’s alright). Bring to a gentle boil, cover and place in the oven. Check after 10 minutes to ensure a gentle simmer. If it is simmering to roughly you will get tough meat, not the fall apart kind. You really don’t want tough meat.

Cook for 3 to 4 hours (check here and there to make sure it is a gentle simmer). How do you know where to pull it out in the 3 to 4 hour range? Well, last time I let it go close to 4 hours in an oven that is not the best for bang on temperature reading and the liquid dried too much, Your liquid should be slightly thickened and concentrated and your beef should be fall apart tender.

Towards the end of the cooking process in a fry pan on medium high heat saute the mushrooms and onions with a very liberal portion of butter. Until softened and browned.

Once the Beef Bourguignon comes out of the oven, stir in the mushrooms and onions, remove the bay leaf and serve garnished with parsley if you’re feeling fancy.

I like to serve this with mashed potatoes or a crusty toasted garlic bread (like ciabatta or a french stick), with a green salad along side.

I do realize how ridiculous it is to post this on a day when it is 15 degrees and sunny out. The good news? If there is a freak storm and you need to cuddle up in front of the fire in the next month, well then you’re set with this meal!

My Tummy….

So lets talk about my three month break……. I’ve been sick, very very sick, like throwing up, can’t look at food, can’t think about food let alone cook, it sick. Not to worry, I’m not actually sick, I’m just growing a BABY!!!!!!!!!!! (and apparently I’m a victim of all-day-every-day morning sickness)

Yup, this wee little thing in my tummy has taken away my ability to enter a kitchen and write about one. I actually had tons of photos of food I made that Mark shot for me before I got sick that I was going to post, but I couldn’t even bring myself to talk/write about food without gagging. So, a blogging hiatus it was.

I’m now back to my old self. I even read a cookbook last weekend, which I think is a promising sign. AND I fully intend on going to the food store this weekend to buy groceries……such a foreign concept to me these days!

Right now I am ringing in around 14 weeks. I was on a strict poutine and bacon only diet for a while there (much to Mark’s disgust!), but I am back to eating all things normal, so I will be back to blogging healthy and delicious recipes on a regular basis.

My apologies about the break, it’s the baby’s fault!

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

I don’t have much to say today. It’s Wednesday, I’m exhausted.

Stuffed peppers are simple. I need simple most nights. My work hours aren’t exactly regular.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 large peppers, halved and hollowed

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, diced

2 cups cooked rice (I usually make extra when I am having rice as a side dish earlier in the week)

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tin black beans

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1 cup grated cheese

In a large fry pan saute on medium heat the onion and garlic for a few minutes, until soft. Add the rice, tomatoes, black beans and spices and saute for 10 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the peppers in a baking dish.

Fill each pepper with the rice mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and place cheese on top of each pepper. Bake for another 10 minutes.

I’m experimenting with my slow cooker tomorrow. Wish me luck, I most likely need it.

No Knead Bread

Do you want people to think you are way more impressive than you actually are?

Ya, me too. Casually whip this sucker out as the bread with dinner when you have people over. A fresh crusty home-made loaf of bread. They won’t stop talking about you.

Thankfully, this recipe is fool-proof and involves about 3 minutes of actual work.

All it takes is some patience. Of which I have none. So the fact I still manage to make this means a monkey could do it.

No Knead Bread (from the New York Times)

Makes a 1 1/2 pound loaf

Ingredients:

3 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp instant yeast

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 5/8 cup of water (I know this is the strangest measurement – blame the New York Times – what can I say, it works)

In a large bowl combine the flour, yeast and salt. Add the water and stir until the dough is blended. It will be shaggy looking and sticky. That’s ok. If you have any excess flour once you have stirred as much is as possible just shake out the excess.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm room temperature place for 12 to 18 hours. (this is where patience kicks in).

When the dough is ready the surface will be dotted with bubbles. Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Sprinkle with a bit more flour and fold over on itself a few times. Take a tea towel and cover it in flour so the dough doesn’t stick. Place the dough in the tea towel seam side down. cover with the edges of the floured tea towel and leave for 2 hours.

Before your dough is ready heat the oven to 450 degrees and place your cast iron pot in the oven. Heat the empty pot for 30 minutes. Place the Dough seam sided up in the pot and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to bake uncovered for 15 to 30 minutes.

Remove loaf from pot and cool on a rack.

As I type this I am eating this bread toasted with bacon, avocado and fried egg on top. Amazing. Less Amazing is that it is 10 p.m. on Monday night and this is my dinner that I am only eating now. Dammit!

Szechuan Braised Cod

It is taking every ounce of my being these days to not haul out my christmas boxes, turn on the carols and watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation on repeat. I promised Mark that I would wait until after American thanksgiving. Sometimes I’m such an idiot. My new potterybarn christmas doormat came in the mail last week. Ten bucks says it’s on the front porch by the end of the day. Not sure why I bother making these promises.

Not only is Szechuan braised cod easy and delicious. It also happens to be red, garnished with green. See what’s happening here?

Szechuan Braised Cod (from Fine Cooking)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb of black cod, cut into 4 even pieces

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp corn starch

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp ketchup (remember when i said I hate ketchup. I still do. I love this recipe and it has ketchup. FAIL.)

2 eggs beaten

10 dried whole red chilis (if you don’t have dried, you can use just 10 small red chilis)

4 green onions, sliced (set aside the sliced white parts)

1 1/2 tbsp ginger (grate it like i suggest here)

In a bowl mix the 2 tbsp of cornstarch with the vinegar, chicken broth, soy sauce and ketchup.

In a shallow bowl spread out the 1/2 cup of cornstarch. In another shallow bowl beat the two eggs. Heat a fry pan to medium high heat and put in a couple of tablespoons of oil. Dredge the fish in the cornstarch, then soak the fish in the egg on all sides. Place the fish into the pan and fry on each side until fish is browned. Transfer the fish to another plate.

Add a little bit more oil to the pan if necessary and saute the chilis, white parts of the green onion and the ginger for about a minute. Give the liquid mixture you previous combine a quick stir and pour into the pan, it should come to a boil and start to thicken quickly. When this happens turn the heat down to medium-low, return the fish to the pan, making sure each piece has been coated in the sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for another 5 minutes until the fish flakes.

Serve the fish over jasmine rice (spooning extra sauce over each piece) and sprinkle with the remainder of the sliced green onion.

Stir-fried Bok Choy

During my walk to work today a bird pooped on my head. True story. Then i got told over and over again how it’s good luck. There is nothing good luckish about this. All it meant was that I had to stand in the bathroom picking poop out of my hair at 7:30am. My day then went on as normal with no lottery wins or out of the ordinary events. fml.

Today is brought to you by simple side-dishes. In keeping with the simple theme this is going to be short (minus the rant above).

This is a great side when you need some greens. Goes well with pretty much any dish, but it really compliments any main dish with Asian flavours.

Stir-Fried Bok Choy

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 cups bok choy (you can use any size bok choy you want)

1 garlic clove pressed with a garlic press

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tbsp soy sauce (use tamari for a gluten free dish)

1 tbsp oyster sauce (if you’re vegetarian or vegan leave this out)

Heat a large fry pan, preferably a wok, to medium high heat. Add a splash of oil and the boy choy. Saute for a few minutes.

Add the ginger and garlic and saute for a few more minutes. Add the soy sauce and oyster sauce, saute for one more minute. Serve.

I’m pretty sure it’s more fun if you eat it with chopsticks.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

I’ve returned from my transformation from Miss. P to Mrs. T. I didn’t forget about all of you, I just needed some time to get my act together in the wedding department so that I wasn’t showing up nude to a dinner of salteens and waters for 185 of my closest friends and family. Then I needed some time to lie on a beach, eat great food that I didn’t have to cook and drink blueberry mojitos. Ya, you heard that right. Blueberry mojitos. I will now spend countless hours trying to recreate these. Just what I need to be doing with my spare time. Fail.

So veggie enchiladas. I had never eaten an enchilada until i made these. (stay with me). I could not stop talking about them after my first bite. To the point where it was probably pretty annoying to be Mark, who was eating next to me, because I droned on all dinner about how good they were and how did I never know about enchiladas? Ya, the translation is I basically spent the entire dinner patting myself on the back for making such a win. I then proceeded to phone him the next day while I was eating them again for lunch and re-enact the entire self-praise thing over the phone. I’m a real gem.

Vegetarian Enchiladas (adapted from Jessica’s recipe at How Sweet Eats)

Serves 4 very hungry people

Ingredients:

1 onion finely diced

1 red pepper finely diced

1 green pepper finely diced

2 portobello mushroom caps, finely diced

1 cup of frozen corn kernels

1 tins of black beans, drained

2 tins of red enchilada sauce (around here we use the hot kind)

1 tin of refried beans

8 large whole wheat tortillas (or if you prefer to live on the edge you can get white flour tortillas)

a handful of shredded cheese (feel free to be very generous with your handful, you may want to do a few)

In a large pan saute the onion, peppers, mushroom and potato until soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the corn, black beans, 1 tin of the enchilada sauce and the refried beans. Stir to combine and heat through.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Grease a large baking dish. Assemble your enchiladas by placing some filling in a tortilla and rolling it, continue with all 8 tortillas and snuggle them all into the pan side by side.

Cover with the remaining tin of enchilada sauce and then sprinkle the handful of grated cheese over top. Bake for 1/2 an hour.

I like to serve with some sour cream (lie. I typically substitute greek yogurt for sour cream – healthy and tasty) and guacamole.

I’m going to be more of a regular on this little blog of mine. I promise.