Growing up, Sunday suppers were a big deal in our house. The meal almost always revolved around meat (though once there was a poorly received tofu lasagna) and potatoes. She’d start preparing the meal early in the morning and when I’d wake up, she’d enlist my help to peel the potatoes and carrots, chop the onions or in the case of beef stew, flour and season the stewing beef. Beef stew is a huge comfort dish from my childhood and something that was prepared only once or twice a year, though I would have gladly eaten it once a week. We were all a huge fan of the boeuf bourguignon, which is how it was known in my household.

I don’t cook a lot of meat in our house, but when I spied some nice looking stewing beef at my local butcher, I figured that turning it into a comforting beef stew would make an ideal fall supper. Baby potatoes, local carrots, fresh herbs and a big ol’ onion melt down with the help of some good red wine and beef stock. It’s a dance of comforting proportions.

Slow cooker update: A lot of you asked in the comments about a slow cooker and I don’t have one, so I couldn’t advise. However, Nicole, who blogs at Dula Notes, says that this stew is great in a slow cooker cooked on low for 10 hours. Thanks Nicole for the great tip!

But the real kicker here is the gremolata. Now don’t get all uppity about gremolata because it’s simply a fancy word for some freshly chopped herbs, lemon zest, sea salt and a small drizzle of olive oil. It seems humble enough, but when scattered over top the hot bowl of stew, it releases some seriously delicious scents and flavours.

elsewhere: Pop on over to Poppytalk if you fancy a quick and hearty vegetarian meal – a golden lentil dal with ginger & orange.

beef stew with gremolata
2 T canola oil
1/3 c flour
salt & pepper
1 lb stewing beef
1 large onion, large dice
3 cloves garlic, sliced
4 carrots, cut into 2″ pieces
1/2 bottle good red wine
3 c beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 T fresh rosemary leaves
2 large potatoes, cubed

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Dump the flour onto a large plate and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the beef cubes in flour. Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat and add in oil. Brown the beef on all sides – be sure not to over crowd the pot or else the beef won’t brown easily. And browning here is all important, so brown each piece well (but don’t burn!) in batches until all the beef is browned. Remove beef and set aside.

2. Add in onion and additional oil if needed and saute until coated in oil and starting to get soft – you want to stir frequently and try to grab all those bits at the bottom of the pot. Add in the garlic and carrots and stir that around too. Pour in the wine and now is your chance to truly loosen all those particles hanging out at the bottom. When you’ve got the bottom clean, add in the beef broth, bay leaves, rosemary and browned beef cubes and bring the whole shebang to a boil. Add in potatoes, cover pot and place in oven.

3. Let cook in oven covered for 2 hours, giving a stir occasionally. Reduce heat to 200F and cook for another 2 hours, still keeping the pot covered. The liquid will have reduced considerably but there should still be a good gravy. The vegetables will be tender and the beef should be melt-in-your-mouth. Ladle into bowls, serve with red wine and a good rustic loaf of bread. Top each bowl off with a spoonful of the gremolata. Serves 4.

gremolata
1 large handful of parsley, finely chopped
1 large stem of rosemary, stems removed + finely chopped
zest of 1 lemon
tiny drizzle of olive oil
pinch of sea salt

Combine all ingredients into a small dish and serve a spoonful over top each bowl of stew. Also, really tasty mixed in with salad or coleslaw.

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• a taste of home: chicken, sausage and vegetable stew

When I first heard the term Italian Wedding Soup, I assumed that it would be a big production. In my head, the soup would be simmered over the course of 3 days in a pot large enough to serve an army (or 300+ very hungry wedding guests). Luckily, that was just my over-active imagination talking because an Italian Wedding Soup couldn’t be easier to make. It’s also the perfect meal for these blustery rainy days. Yes, the rain and howling winds are back with a vengeance it seems but this soup is the perfect cure-all.

Wikipedia describes an italian wedding soup as a dish containing green vegetables and meat and so that’s what I did. I had some local organic ground beef and figured I’d spice it up with the addition of fennel along with all the usual suspects. And fennel was the perfect spice here as it gave these meatballs a unique twist. The rest of the soup came together quickly: kale, carrots, celery, onions, garlic and chicken stock. I used bowtie-shaped pasta, but orzo would be perfect as would any short pasta like macaroni. I should also note, if you have any Parmesan rinds laying about, add them to this soup for extra super flavour – just remember to remove them before serving or someone will end up with a mouthful of chewy cheese (not a bad thing, really).

If you want to keep things vegetarian/vegan, sub in vegetable stock and use your favorite veggie sausage cut into discs instead. Just remember to add the sausage near the end, just before the pasta is finished cooking as you just need to heat the sausage not cook it.

italian wedding soup
meatballs
1 lb lean ground beef (local & organic)
1 T fennel seeds, crushed
1 t Old Bay seasoning
1/4 cayenne pepper
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
1 t worchestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t kosher salt
1 egg
1/4 c bread crumbs

1 T olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 t dried chili flakes
pinch of salt
fresh ground pepper
1 bunch kale, cut into 1 inch ribbons (tough ribs removed) & cut crosswise
6 c chicken stock
Parmesan rinds (optional)
1 c short or small pasta

Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, mix together with your hands the meatball ingredients. If you find the mixture too sticky, add in more bread crumbs. Roll about a tablespoon of the mixture into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onions and garlic until soft & fragrant. Stir in the celery, carrots and chili flakes along with a small pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Let the mixture sweat for a few minutes and then add in the kale, stirring until it gets wilty. Remove meatballs from the oven and add to the pot. Pour in chicken stock and Parmesan rinds (if using) and bring to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook until the pasta is tender. I always throw in a few squirts of hot sauce into the pot, but that’s just me. If your pot needs more liquid, add in more stock or water and adjust seasonings before serving.

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• beat the clock: italian minestrone with beans, pasta and chard
• soup-ernatural: creamy chicken & vegetable soup

To be truely authentic, I would have to finely grind my own meat and then boil, rather than brown it. Also, there would be no kidney beans in the chili, rather, they’d be served over top along with the other toppings. Whatever, this chili rocked. After having his first bowl, Cornelius said that all chili should be served over top of spaghetti and I think I have to agree with him. The chili alone was good, but over top of thin spaghetti, it took it to a whole new level. And the addition of diced raw onion over top? It was delicious! This will definitely make an appearance again and I can easily see a veggie ground round substituted for the ground beef. Not traditional, but who cares!

My standard chili recipe is here. I used to make it with ground chicken, but now I usually use a veggie ground round instead. It’s delicious and it also has cocoa powder added for depth.

totally not cincinnati chili
1 lb ground lean sirloin
1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1/2 c water or beef broth
1.5 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground allspice
1.5 T worchestershire sauce
1/2 t salt
1/2 t red chili flakes
1/4 t ground chipotle powder
2 T cocoa powder
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 can of kidney beans, drained & rinsed

toppings:
grated cheddar cheese
finely diced red onion
sour cream

Brown ground beef in the olive oil, along with the onions, garlic and chili powder. When meat is mostly browned, add in remaining ingredients except the kidney beans and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer uncovered for about an 1 hour. Add in kidney beans and simmer on low for another half hour. Serve over spaghetti and top with grated cheese and diced onion.

Possibly related posts:

• warm up a little: chicken & bean chili
• you’re on notice: vegetarian cashew chili

The sauce itself was really easy to prepare. I just gathered the ingredients together and whizzed them up with my immesion blender. In less than a minute, I had a heavenly scented sauce that tasted like the heat of summer. It’s a really fresh-tasting condiment that tastes as green as it looks (in a very, very good way!)

chimichurri sauce
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch cilantro
4 cloves garlic
1 hot pepper, de-seeded
lemon zest & juice of 1/2 lemon
large pinch of salt
1 – 3 large glugs of olive oil
1 shallot, roughly chopped
water, if needed to thin things out

Whizzz up all ingredients in a blender. Taste and adjust seasonings & measurements if necessary. Done. Makes almost a cup of sauce.

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So while the main reason for the making of the chimichurri was as a marinade and sauce for the steak, I had sauce left over and decided that it would make perfect salad dressing. I was right. Once, the dressing is prepared, the rest of the salad is a breeze. I decided to peel the carrot into ribbons and it was a nice touch, though you could easily dice them for a different texture.

chimichurri chickpea salad
1 can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 carrot, peeled into ribbons
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 spicy red pepper, minced & deseeded
1/4 c chimichurri sauce (recipe above)

Mix up all the ingredients and serve in a pretty dish. Serves 4. Easy.

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Okay, now for the main event! If you are a meat-lover, bask in this meaty love, please. If you are not, there’s a reason I stuck this at the end of the post! Avert your eyeballs! The secret to a good steak? Start with a good steak! Really, don’t buy some cheap-ass cut from your supermarket. Splurge and get one really nice steak, grass-fed organic if you can afford it. You really don’t need a steak each…just share one steak. Trust me, with some wine, a nice loaf of bread and a salad, you’ve got a perfect meal and no one will want for more. But back to the chimichurri sauce for one last time…the quick marinade packs a punch. Reserve some of it to serve as a sauce to drizzle over top. You won’t regret it.

chimichurri rib-eye steak
1 T butter
1 rib eye organic grass-fed steak (or other fine cut)
1/4 c chimichurri sauce (recipe above) + extra for serving

Slather sauce over rib eye and let sit for a few minutes. Heat up butter in a cast iron pan. When it’s good and bubbly, add steak. Cook on 1 side for 6 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from pan and let rest for 8 minutes (I just made up that amount but it sounds about right). Dig in and serve with remaining chimichurri sauce. Serves 2.

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Normally, we don’t cook with a lot of meat other than chicken or fish, but I’m designing some birth announcements for a friend and we made a deal that included 10 pounds of free-range, grass fed beef along with a cash deal. So I’ve got short ribs along with a bunch of other stuff in the freezer. I’ve never had short ribs before but after looking at a lot of recipes, I decided that braising would be ideal. So I browned the short ribs until they were golden and crispy and looked (and smelled) incredible and then worked off the rest of the ingredients. They’ve been cooking in the oven under a low heat for the past few hours and the smell has been killing me softly. I’m so ready to dig in!

As you can see, I illustrated my meal instead since a big ol’ mess of brown wouldn’t make the most appetizing photo. But don’t let that steer you wrong…this meal is rich and special. Just let that meat fall off the bones and into your gullet. It’s good. Reaaallly good. Oh hey, if you are in Vancouver, pick up the Georgia Straight this week cuz there’s a big ol’ photo of me (along with an interview about Vancouver bloggers). You can find the online version here.

* Oh that’s right, I’ll be in Portland again! My favorite city ever. So send me your things to do, eat, and all the good stuff.

wine-braised short ribs
2 short ribs
1 T olive oil
4 shallots
4 garlic gloves
2 large carrots, chopped
4 small potatoes, cut in half
1 large can of tomatoes
4 sprigs of thyme
3 sprigs of rosemary
1 bottle of nice drinking red wine

Preheat oven to 325F. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper and brown in the olive oil in a heavy cast iron pan. Do not skimp on this step, as you really bring out the flavour by browning (I let mine brown for close to 15 minutes). Remove ribs and add in the shallots and garlic and saute for a few minutes, adding in carrots and potatoes. Throw in the can of tomatoes, the bottle of wine and the herbs and bring to a boil, letting the liquids reduce slightly. Put the lid on your dutch oven and place the whole shebang into the oven for the next 3-4 hours or so. Check in once in a while and if you like, you can skim off the fat (and oh, there will be fat!) into a bowl and place it in the freezer so that the fat firms up. Throw out the hard fat, leaving behind the lovely jus and dump that back into the pot. When you can’t stand it anymore, dig in!

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On December 24th, Cornelius and I woke up with Bailey’s fever. Bailey’s Irish Cream went into our morning coffee and managed to sneak it’s way into our waffle batter. Definitely a delicious way to start the day! The rest of the day was spent playing board games and watching movies — everything from “The Lords of Dogtown” to “The Shop Around the Corner” (my favorite Christmas movie I’ve decided). Cornelius made me my favorite drink, the classic Canadian Caesar and I made him a blender drink full of strawberries, orange juice, vodka and Southern Comfort. It was time for dinner.

When I was little, my mom would often make boeuf bourguignon for Sunday dinners from her trusty Madame Benoit cookbook. I shamefully do not have any Jehane Benoit cookbooks so my recipe came from another old standby, The Joy of Cooking. This meal is rich and beyond satisfying and made a perfect Christmas Eve meal. I was hoping to serve it with dreamy white beans from the lovely Orangette, but I forgot to soak the beans the night before. Instead, I opted for roasted potatoes sprinkled with fresh thyme. Not a bad choice.

boeuf bourguignon
1/2 lb. bacon
Peel, add and saute lightly:
12 small onions or 4 shallots
Remove pork and onions from the pan. Cut into 1 inch dice and saute in the hot fat until light brown:
2 lbs. lean beef
Sprinkle the meat with:
1 1/2 T flour
Place it in an ovenproof dish with:
1 t salt
4 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1/2 t thyme
Cover meat with dry red wine and water (3/4 part wine to 1/4 part water).
Cook covered in oven for 1 hour. Place the pork and onions on top and contiue to cook for another hour or until the beef is tender. Or simmer the beef covered on top of the stove for about 1 1/2 hours in all. Add 1 c sauteed mushrooms and heat through. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

*Before I added the mushrooms, I added a bunch of baby carrots cut in half. Sometimes a bit of veg is necessary!