Beef Stew in a Red Wine Sauce

A terrible photo of an absolutely amazing meal!

I have been very lucky this pregnancy, in that I have been able to cook and enjoy it almost the entire time (the first few months were a bit iffy!). I'm also lucky to have a husband that LOVES food and gets really, really excited about trying new recipes and techniques. He's a great help in the kitchen, too. This recipe was definitely one that required an extra set of hands because of all the steps--and because I'm eight months pregnant and the size of a duplex, so I don't move very fast!

In terms of work, this particular recipe is really up there, but the end result is worth it a thousand times over. Every flavor was amazing, every component was worth the work it took, every bite was heaven. Sometimes a dish is just so perfect that you can't help but smile when you eat it (and maybe your eyes roll back in your head a bit--I'm not saying mine did, but . . . yeah, they did). Because we changed the second part of this recipe so much, I wanted to make sure that I blogged it so we won't forget exactly what we did. I'm eventually going to make a family recipe book, which will include our favorite dishes. This one will absolutely be in that book--with a much better set of photos! My push present for this baby is going to be a new camera and lens--thanks, Hubby! Anyway, here is the beef stew in a red wine sauce in all its delicious glory!

Beef Stew in a Red Wine Sauce
*Adapted from Jacques Pépin

First phase:

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds beef stew meat, cut in 2 inch chunks
Salt and Pepper
1 yellow onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 bottle dry red wine**
2 bay leaves
1 thyme sprig

**We used Costco's Kirkland Signature Côtes du Rhône, which was inexpensive and yummy. For more sauce, I might use a bottle and a half next time.

Preheat the oven to 350º. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Generously season the meat with salt and pepper and brown in a single layer (you'll need to cook it in batches), about 3 minutes per side. Remove the meat, place on a plate, and set aside. Lower the heat to medium and add a little more olive oil, if necessary. Add onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the meat and any juices on the plate back into the pot and sprinkle with flour. Stir to coat the meat, then pour in the red wine. Add the bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and bring to a boil, stirring to incorporate all the delicious brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Cover and place in the oven. Cook for 2 hours, or until the meat is fork tender.

Second phase:

1 package of bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, finely diced
15 baby bella mushrooms, diced
15 baby carrots, diced
Salt and pepper

Sauté bacon in a large skillet until cooked through and a bit crispy. Remove and place on a plate with paper towels and set aside. Drain off all but 1-2 tablespoons of the bacon fat and add onion, mushrooms, and carrots. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 15 minutes, or until the veggies have softened and the mushrooms have released their liquid.

To serve:

Add a healthy dollop of mashed potatoes to a bowl. Place a few delicious pieces of super tender meat on top of the potatoes, then sprinkle on some bacon and a generous amount of the veggies. Top with the red wine sauce and enjoy every blissful bite!

Sweet Potato, Caramelized Shallot, and Goat Cheese Tart

Oh, so good. So, so good!

 Hubby and I are on a healthy, whole foods kick. We purchased a quarter of a cow from one of his co-workers, who has a beef farm, which resulted in 175 pounds of organic, grass-fed beef filling our freezer. We are splitting it with my parents, but I can't tell you how excited I am to see all that wonderful meat! It was really cost-effective too, when you broke it all down.

In addition to our beautiful quarter beef, we have started using Full Circle produce. They deliver a box of certified organic produce to our front door once a week. Now, I am NOT one of those it-must-be-organic-or-I'm-going-to-freak-out types, but it is really exciting to get such good, local produce (I am a big proponent of eating local!) at such a great price. And delivered to our door, no less! The best thing about it is that we are being forced to cook outside the box, figuratively speaking. Just this week, we got a pie pumpkin, a bunch of kale, yams, an avocado, shallots, valencia oranges, persimmons, and fuji apples. We found out that persimmons are yummy! And I sautéed some kale with red pepper flakes, garlic, and balsamic vinegar. It was delicious!

The best thing I've made with some of this amazing produce was a sweet potato, caramelized shallot, and goat cheese tart. I actually cheated and made it the day before we got the box of produce because I had a bunch of sweet potatoes, but I'm sure it will be just as good when I make it again with the yams! This is my favorite thing I've made in a long time. Hubs enjoyed it, but he's a meat lover, so this vegetarian dish wasn't in his top 5. It was definitely in mine though! I can't even begin to describe how yummy it was, and although a bit labor intensive, the results are SO worth it. Thank you to Full Circle for posting this recipe, which I will be using for the rest of my life. I swear. The only change I MIGHT make would be to sprinkle some crumbled bacon on top. Because everything is better with bacon. Maybe.

Oh, and I apologize for the poor quality of the photos. It was 7:30 when I started it, so it didn't get done until around 9. 9pm in the fall=crummy light!

Sweet Potato, Caramelized Shallot, and Goat Cheese Tart
*From Full Circle

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1 1/4 pounds (2 medium) sweet potatoes or garnet yams, peeled and thinly sliced (we used a mandolin)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup goat cheese, crumbled
2 strips cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)

Preheat oven to 400º.  In a medium saucepan, heat oil oer medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Spray a 10-inch tart pan with non-stick spray (we used our Misto) and place it on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Place sweet potatoes or yams in overlapping layers, starting at the outer edge and spiraling inward to make one layer. Sprinkle some shallots, thyme, Parm, goat cheese, salt and pepper, and repeat the process to create 3 layers.

Cover the top of the tart with crumbled bacon, if you're using it (I'm still on the fence about the bacon), and any remaining cheese (I set aside some Parm so I had plenty to sprinkle on top), then very lightly salt.

Bake until the top is golden brown and the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 40-45 minutes. Remove and cut into wedges to serve. It also reheats really well the next day. Enjoy!

Savory Skillet Lamb Chops and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Savory Skillet Lamb Chops
*From Cooks.com

2 tsp. olive oil
5 lamb loin shanks
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup water

Slowly heat olive oil in skillet with a lid. Add chops and brown for 2 1/2 minutes on each side. Add the rest of the ingredients to 1/3 cup water. Mix well and pour it over the chops. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 40 minutes, or until chops are tender. Remove chops and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Increase heat to thicken the liquid to a make a gravy, which should take 2-3 minutes.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
*From Paula Deen

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup butter
3 tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Add a dash of kosher salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and return potatoes to the pot. Add butter, salt, cinnamon, and honey. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Zucchini Soup

Hubby got me a Vitamix blender to celebrate getting our tax return and I'm a little obsessed with it. This soup took all of 5 minutes to put together and it was really yummy. Plus, it cooks in the blender, meaning no pot to clean! Healthy, easy, and delicious all rolled in one? Yes, please!

Zucchini Soup

*Adapted from the Vitamix Whole Foods cookbook

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 medium carrot, halved

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/4 cup potato flakes (or half a cooked baked potato)

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Pinch salt

Fresh cracked pepper

Place all ingredients into the blender (you could certainly use a food processor and then cook this on the stove). Turn the blender on Variable 1 and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to high. Blend for 6-7 minutes or until heavy steam escapes from the vented lid. Serve and enjoy!

Nana's Famous Beer Roast

This roast is one that my mom makes at least a couple times a month. It is a favorite of the entire family and we always have it for family get-togethers. The original recipe comes from my Nana and there are many people who associate this dish with her, which makes it that much more special to me. One of the best parts about this roast (besides how delicious it is!) is the smell that wafts through the house as it cooks all day. By the time the roast is done, we're all standing around the stove salivating and counting the seconds. Well today, I finally attempted to make my Nana's famous beer roast. It was the 4-year anniversary of the day my husband and I met, so it was a special day. It has also been snowing on and off here all day, so a warm, comforting meal sounded perfect to us. I wasn't sure if I should post this recipe, since it feels like a sacred family dish, but it's too good not to share!

Nana's Famous Beer Roast
*From Nana and my Mom!

1 3-5 pound beef roast, (bottom round or chuck)
3 bottles of beer (we used Session, Hubby's favorite)
1 packet beefy onion soup mix (I grind the onions because I prefer a smooth texture for the gravy)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon beef bouillon
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1-1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

Preheat oven to 250º. Place the roast in a Dutch oven. Add onion powder, beef bouillon, and pepper.

Pour on the beefy onion soup mix and the Worcestershire sauce.

Add the beer.

Cover and cook for 6-8 hours. The meat will fall apart when it's done.

For the gravy:
Remove the meat from the cooking liquids and wrap in foil and set aside. Place the Dutch oven with the liquids on the stove over medium-high heat. In a small cup, add 1/4 cup cornstarch and an equal amount of water. Mix well until all lumps are gone and whisk into the cooking liquids. Heat to bubbly until the gravy thickens. You might need to do the cornstarch slurry more than once to thicken it enough. (I usually wind up doing it twice.)

Serve the gravy over mashed potatoes or rice and make sure to cover your meat with it too. Enjoy this wonderful family dish!

Chicken, Leek, and Shallot Pot Pie

Have you ever been intimidated by a certain fruit or veggie in the produce section of your grocery store? Well, that's how I felt about leeks until we had them in what felt like every dish while in France. Leeks are a staple there, so every time I eat them, I can close my eyes and pretend that we're back in a café eating quiche full of this mild onion-flavored veggie.

For Hubby and I, France means happiness, so I thought a dish with some French flavors would be perfect for our Valentine's Day dinner. We loved this turkey pot pie, so I adapted it using chicken, shallots, and leeks to make this delicious, filling, and slightly fancy main dish. It was a definite hit!

And it really did make us think of France, which made for a very romantic dinner. And then he went to work . . . Eh, the life of a cop's wife.

Anyway, bottom line: This dish is yummy! And it's a really lovely presentation, so it would make a great dish for a dinner party too!

Chicken, Leek, and Shallot Pot Pie
*By me!

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 refrigerated pie crusts, thawed (let them sit on the counter while you make the filling)
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of salt
Pinch of nutmeg
1 1/2 cups Southern style cubed potatoes, thawed and warmed in the microwave
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

Heat oven to 425º. Slice leeks and mince shallot.

 Melt a little bit of butter in a skillet and add leeks and shallots. Sauté for about 5 minutes on medium heat, until tender. Add in minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute longer, then remove from heat and set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter and whisk in flour to make a roux. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking frequently. Gradually add in milk and chicken broth, whisking to combine.

Stir in seasonings and cook until bubbly and thickened. 

 Add in chicken, warmed potatoes, leeks, shallots, and garlic. Stir to combine.

 Roll out one pie crust into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Press into the bottom of the dish and spoon the filling onto the crust.

 Top with the second crust, pinch and flute the edges. You can use any excess crust to decorate the top of the pie. Cut several slits in the top of the crust. Separate the yolk from one egg and discard. Brush the top of the crust with the egg white.

 Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. During the last 15-20 minutes cooking, cover the edges of the crust with foil to prevent excess browning. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

This is my new favorite soup of all time. We ate this for dinner and then I had some for a snack later and a small bowl for breakfast this morning. I don't even feel guilty either. Although Hubby isn't going to be happy when he wakes up and finds out there is only a tiny bit left . . .

I found this soup recipe on Pennies on a Platter and I'm so glad I did. In case you couldn't tell, I found this to be delicious. It isn't the healthiest soup, but that just means you shouldn't make it too often. Then when you do, it's a great treat! Unfortunately, I started cooking late (hence the dark photos-darn winter!) and didn't have time to let the potatoes cook through before Hubby had to eat before work, so they were a little crunchy. My second and third helpings were perfect, however, so I recommend boiling your peeled and chopped potatoes first. 

This will also be my second entry into Branny Boils Over's Charity Souper Bowl. This one is also dedicated to my two boys, Gus and Joey! Here they are when they were both little. Gus (the golden) is now 1 year and 3 months and Joey (the springer) is 7 months. They definitely keep us busy!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

*From Pennies on a Platter

2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup flour

7 cups of milk

4 large or 6 medium baking potatoes, peeled, cubed, and cooked through (bake, boil, or microwave)

4 green onions, sliced and more for garnish

12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (we mince ours in a blender)

1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

In a Dutch oven, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk to create a roux.

Add milk, one cup at a time, whisking as you go. Stir until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes.

Stir in the onions.

Add salt, pepper, and garlic salt and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add in bacon.

Add cheese and sour cream and stir until the cheese is melted.

Adjust seasonings as needed and enjoy!

Leek and Potato Soup and an ASPCA Donation

For Christmas, my wonderful hubby bought me Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Around My French Table. I think I've paged through it about 10 times since Christmas, and I want to make every single recipe in the book. Today I decided it was time to try one out, so I chose a simple soup recipe. According to Dorie, "Soups don't get simpler or more French than leek and potato." Amen. The best part about this one is that, while it's amazing as is, it's also a great base to add other ingredients, such as fennel (which I'm going to try next time), spinach, watercress, corn, or chicken. All I needed was a baguette and some good French wine and I could have closed my eyes and imagined we were back in Paris at a café watching the beautiful people strolling along the Rue Cler. Ah, l'amour.

Another reason I chose to make a soup recipe is to support Branny Boils Over in her Charity Souper Bowl in the month of January. Every link to a soup recipe made by a participant means she will donate $1 to the ASPCA. I'll be making a few soup recipes this month and I will also be donating to the ASPCA to help in the contribution. So, in the spirit of the Charity Souper Bowl, here is the leek and potato soup recipe, which I am dedicating to our fur babies, Gus and Joey.

Leek and Potato Soup

*From Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Salt and white pepper (I had black and it worked just fine)

3 leeks, white and light green parts only, split lengthwise, washed, and thinly sliced

(I only had 2 leeks, so I added 3 extra potatoes)

1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed

6 thyme sprigs

2 fresh sage leaves (optional)

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups whole milk

Melt the butter in a dutch oven or soup pot over low heat. Add the onion and garlic and stir until they glisten with butter, then season with salt and pepper.

Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the onion is soft but not colored. Add in potatoes and leeks.

Pour in milk and chicken broth.

Add thyme, sage, and a little more salt.

Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil. As soon as the soup bubbles, reduce heat to low. Cover the pot, cracking the lid a little bit and simmer gently for 30 to 40 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper.

At this point, you have a few choices: you can ladle the soup into bowls as is, or you can mash the vegetables, which is what I chose to do with an immersion blender.

Garnish with parsley and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Casserole

My mom makes such amazing sweet potatoes, so when I decided to make my own sweet potatoes, I opted to try a different recipe. You just can't match Mom's recipe, so why try? This one is from the Pioneer Woman and it's wonderful. Shocking, I know. I've already made it 3 times and it's always a hit. A big bonus is that it's incredibly easy to make. My one change is the amount of sugar, which I've cut down to 3/4 of a cup because, let's face it, sweet potatoes are sweet-it's all in the name!

Sweet Potato Casserole

*From the Pioneer Woman

4 medium or 3 large sweet potatoes (I always use 3)

3/4 cup sugar (the recipe calls for 1 cup, but I add a little less)

1 cup milk

2 whole eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

1/2 cup flour

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) butter, cold

Wash sweet potatoes and bake in a 400º oven for 40-50 minutes, or until fork tender.

When they are finished cooking, slice in half and scoop out the flesh into a large bowl or baking dish.

Add sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt.

Mash with a potato masher until smooth, or to the desired consistency.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add brown sugar, pecans, flour, and cold butter. With a pastry cutter or fork, mash ingredients together until combined.

Spread sweet potatoes in a 11/2 to 2-quart baking dish and top with brown sugar and pecan mixture.

Bake in a 400º oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!