Category Archives: Meat

Secret Ingredient Beef and Vegetable Stew

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Happy New Year, all!  If the frigid temperatures in the Northeast didn’t clue you in, it’s January.  As is the case each year at this time, I have given some thought to what changes and improvements I’d like to make for the coming year.  There are some that seem to be reoccurring (less shopping, more saving; less worrying, more meditating; less technology, more sleeping… ironic that I’m blogging about using less technology, right?)

But I find I’m more of a “decision” kind of a girl than a “resolution” one.  Decisions require action; resolutions require desire.  Action tends to yield far better results than willfully wishing for better days ahead.

The decisions I have made around food involve consuming less meat, a further dedication to seasonal eating, and a commitment to savoring the process as much as the result.  Seems fitting that I’d start the New Year with a lighter version of one of my favorite winter comfort foods.

Any time I see the words “Secret Ingredient,” my curiosity is peaked.  Sure, sometimes that secret ingredient is the ubiquitous use of espresso powder in brownies but often it is something I hadn’t thought of.

This stew’s secret ingredient is anchovy, which is melted into the base and lends a briny, buttery undertone to the dish.  Since I’ve made a decision to use less meat, I’ve scaled back on the portion, and doubled the amount of mushrooms and carrots.  Mushrooms add a meaty flavor and texture while keeping the stew light. With salty anchovies, rich tomato paste, bright tomatoes, and loads of vegetables, you wind up with a very flavorful stew that makes the most out of the caramelized beef and juices.  This is a comforting supper for your family, but glistening and showered with fresh parsley, elegant enough to serve for a dinner party (bonus:  it’s better made a day ahead of time).

This New Year, let’s resolve to make less resolutions, decide to make more decisions, and contemplate it all over a steaming bowl of beef and vegetable stew.IMG_2702

 

 

SECRET INGREDIENT BEEF AND VEGETABLE STEW

Adapted from Food 52

SERVES 8-10

 

3- 4lbs. beef stewing meat, cut into 2-3 inch pieces

1/3 cup mixed olive and canola oil

2 leeks, washed well and cut thinly

1 large onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, diced

5 celery ribs, diced

8 ounces white mushrooms, quarted

¼ cup tomato paste

2 anchovies

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup red wine

3 cups beef broth

1 cup canned whole tomatoes with juices

3 bay leaves

3/4 teaspoons dried thyme

Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

1/3 cup chopped parsley

 

Season the beef with salt and pepper on both sides. Brown the meat in batches in a 5-6 quart Dutch oven over high heat, adding more oil as needed. Remove to a plate.

Lower the heat and add all the vegetables. Cook for 5-10 minutes until softened. Stir in the tomato paste and anchovies and cook to melt the anchovies and distribute.

Add the beef back in, with its juices. Add the wine, vinegar, and tomatoes with juice (breaking them up against the side of the pot as you go) and bring to a boil. Add the stock to cover (you may need a bit more than 3 cups). Put in the salt, bay leaf, thyme, bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered, for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate.

When cool, skim off much of the fat from the top. Reheat over low heat, letting the stew simmer 30-45 minutes before serving.

Mix in half of the parsley and garnish with the rest

Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Pickled Golden Raisins and Herbs

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In my view, pork screams to be married with a bit of sweetness.  Whether it’s a deep maple glaze, buttery spiced pears, or a fresh and tart cherry relish, it works beautifully in any season.  The key to any delicious sauce or accompaniment is to achieve balanced flavors, and a great way to keep the sweetness from being too pronounced is with the use of acid.

Here sweet, gummy golden raisins are plumped in an herby, pungent vinegar-based mixture.  This creates a superb flavor combination as well as a toothsome textural combination when combined with the toasted mustard seeds. Moist and agreeable roasted pork is a perfect supporting cast member to this unique compote.  This is a quick dinner to throw together on a weeknight but special enough for entertaining.

In May of 2011, the United States Department of Agriculture lowered its safe cooking temperature for pork from 160 degrees to 145 degrees, which gave chefs all over the country (who were doing that anyway) much excitement.  Finally, it was being acknowledged that lean meats like this cut of pork do not benefit from those dry-meat inducing 15 degrees, and the carryover temperature obtained by resting is sufficient.  The result is safely cooked meat that maintains it’s juicy, tender flesh.  A little bit of pink is okay, in fact it is preferable to my taste.  Dogmas change, and what was once thought of as unacceptable has now become accepted as eaters open their minds to new ideas and truths, just one of the million reasons why I’m increasingly more excited to be a cook.

For the Pickled Raisins:

Adapted from Sundays at Lucques by Suzanne Goin

2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds

½ cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons champagne vinegar

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 bay leaf

1/3 pound golden raisins

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1-inch sprig rosemary

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Before you begin making the raisins, take the pork out of the refrigerator to let it come closer to room temperature.

Place the mustard seeds in a small pan over medium heat and toast a few minutes, shaking the pan often, until the seeds just start to pop.

Combine the mustard seeds with 1 cup water and the rest of the ingredients in a small nonaluminum pot.  Bring to a boil, and turn the heat down to a low simmer.  Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half.  Let the raisins cool, and store them in the liquid in the refrigerator.

For the Pork:

SERVES 4

2 pork tenderloins (about 1 1/2 pounds total), excess fat and silver skin removed

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Pat the pork dry and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Pat the seasonings into the pork to adhere.  In a large ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork, and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, about 7-8 minutes.

Transfer to oven, and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of pork registers 145 degrees, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Slice pork, and serve with Pickled Golden Raisins.

*My Two Cents:  If you don’t have mustard seeds, a tablespoon of whole grain mustard may be added in towards the end of cooking in its place.

Apple cider or white wine vinegar can be used instead of the champagne vinegar.

These raisins would go well with veal chops or roasted chicken as well.

Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Cinnamon, Tomatoes and Smashed Capers

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My dad was coming to town.  In 24 hours he would arrive with my mother and a car filled with enough paper towels, Dove soap, and toothpaste to last me for 3 years.  Sometimes I think they forget I have less storage space than The Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe.  But, I digress…

Somewhere over the last five years I started doing something that my parents have done for years:  I started sending them home with food.  I don’t know that there’s anything more gratifying than packing a to-go container for my folks, giving them an earnest hug and telling them to drive safe.  Maybe, in part, because I know when I tell them this they actually will.  Slightly different when the roles were reversed, I assure you.

I knew I wanted to send them home with something that would be an extension of that hug, and because my dad is a guy’s guy through and through, roasted beets and tuna tartare would not do.  It was a time for something substantial and comforting with rich aromatics and plenty of earthy spice.  It was a time for well-marbled meat and a savory sauce.  It was a time for Braised Lamb.

A word about braises:  Any recipe that directs you to start the meat in the oven, covered by it’s braising liquid needs to be amended.  Skipping the opportunity to sear the meat and caramelize the crust is a mistake. Stews, soups and braises are about building flavors.  Take every opportunity to make the most of your ingredients and the finished dish will sing with flavor.  I chose to use cinnamon for an earthy sweetness, tomatoes and red wine for their brightness and acidity and capers for their cheerful saltiness.  I also chose to serve this over chewy barley, as the contrast of textures really works here.  Feel free to use another grain, polenta or even mashed potatoes to serve as a pillow for this sumptuous sauce.

I sent my dad home with a container of braised lamb, cooked in dedication with my very warmest wishes.  They left me with enough toiletries to prepare me for the future equivalent of a Y2K. It’s truly a give and take, full-grown relationship threaded with mutual appreciation, immense respect and an incredible amount of love. Even in my cabinet-challenged apartment, I can always find room for that.

 

 

SLOW ROASTED LAMB SHOULDER WITH CINNAMON, TOMATOES AND SMASHED CAPERS

Serves 6-8

 

(5 pounds) bone-in shoulder of lamb (depending on the size of the animal, this may amount to one large shoulder, or 1 1/2 small shoulders)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced

4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 cup dry red wine

2-inch piece cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs rosemary

¼ cup capers, drained, rinsed and finely chopped

Cooked barley, for serving

Remove meat from the refrigerator 30 minutes before ready to cook.

 

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Season the lamb shoulder generously with the salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil and sear the lamb, turning, until it is well browned all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a plate.

 

Add the leeks and garlic to the Dutch oven and brown, stirring, for 5 minutes.

 

Return the lamb to the Dutch oven and add the tomatoes, wine, capers, balsamic, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and rosemary. Cover the Dutch oven and place it in the oven. Cook it for 1/2 hour.

 

Lower the heat to 275 degrees and cook for another 2 ½ hours, turning the lamb twice during cooking.

Remove lamb from pot and shred slightly into large but manageable pieces.  Serve over barley.

 

 

*My Two Cents:  I love the texture of barley with this braise, but polenta, farro or mashed potatoes would all be a fitting pillow to soak up this delicious sauce.

If you can’t find bone-in lamb shoulder, swap in boneless lamb shoulder or even pork shoulder.  Any meat that is well marbled and suited for braising would work well with this method.  As the meat slowly cooks the fat and gelatin break down and make it meltingly tender.

This is an ideal dinner for entertaining as it is even better the next day.  This is also why I recommend cooking a large piece of meat so you can enjoy exponentially delicious leftovers all week long.