stews Archives - The Midnight Baker

Anthony Bourdain’s Beef Bourguignon

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 00:00:56 +0000

This is Anthony Bourdain’s famous beef bourguignon. And it’s worth all the effort.

A Timeless Classic

Beef stew or beef bourguignon, is the quintessential comfort food since it’s warm and delicious. As a result, there’s many recipes for it as well as cooking methods.

This one comes from the one-and-only Anthony Bourdain. And who knew more than he about great cooking? I was a huge fan of his and when I saw his recipe in a recent Washington Post edition I had to make this.

This recipe leans more toward the French than the American. It does contain one ingredient that some may not find on the shelf at their local grocery, but it is an optional ingredient. However, I do urge you to use it and I will give a source for it.

Demi Glace

This is the optional ingredient. There are shortcut methods to making it and even substitutions. This is one instance where I say don’t bother making it–buy it. If you live in a larger metro area, it’s likely you’ll find this in the aisle where stocks and broths are or where browning sauce and gravies are located. I bought mine off of Amazon and it was pretty reasonable. It also has many uses and it’s shelf stable so it won’t go bad.

It does add a special something to this bourguignon so I do encourage you to use it. However, the stew will taste awesome even if you don’t.

Onions?

No, it’s not a typo. This recipe uses four, yes four onions.

But here’s the scoop. They all cook down and actually thicken the sauce. It sounds ridiculous, I know. But that’s what happened. Even a good friend who is not “into” onions didn’t detect any overpowering flavor and in fact, she loved this stew.

The Recipe

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Copycat Anthony Bourdain's Beef Bourguignon

This stew is worth all the effort

Prep Time20

Cook Time2 30

Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: French

Keyword: anthony bourdain beef bourguignon, burgundy beef, demi glace, gourmet beef stew

Servings: 6

Calories: 452kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lb boneless beef shoulder or chuck cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil divided
4 medium onions halved and thinly sliced
2 tbs all-purpose flour
1 cup red burgundy wine such as pinot noir
6 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 clove garlic
1 bouquet garni a tied bundle of herbs, typically thyme, bay and parsley
Water
Demi-glace optional
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Thoroughly pat the meat dry with paper towels and generously season it with salt and pepper.
In a Dutch oven over high heat, heat half of the oil until shimmering. Working in several batches, and without moving the meat much, sear the meat on all sides until well browned, adding more oil as needed. (If you try to cook too much meat at once, it will steam and turn gray instead of brown.) Once the meat is well browned, transfer to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the onions and any remaining oil to the pot. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the onions have softened and turn golden, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on top and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and, using a wooden spoon, stir, scraping up all the browned bits (fond) off the bottom of the pot.
Once the wine starts to boil, return the meat and its accumulated juices to the pot, and add the carrots, garlic and the bouquet garni. Add 1 1/2 cups of water (and about 2 tablespoons of demi-glace, if you have it). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until the meat is tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, skimming off any foam or oil that might accumulate on the surface. Check on the stew every 15 to 20 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching or sticking.
As you check on the stew, continue adding 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup water, as needed, up to 2 1/2 to 3 cups total — to ensure there is enough liquid to cook down and concentrate. If the stew begins to stick, reduce the heat to low. The onions should fall apart, creating a thick, rich sauce that coats the meat.
When the stew is done, discard the bouquet garni, taste the stew and season with more salt, if desired. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.

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Beef Casserole

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 23:00:09 +0000

The name beef casserole is an understatement. This is one of the best meals you’ll ever eat.

Beef Casserole: A British Favorite

Maybe I should say “favourite” under these conditions–LOL. But any way you spell it, you’re bound to love it.

This is another entry in what I call, “The food of my people,” and it’s another one that doesn’t disappoint. The British have mastered the art of the understatement and this recipe is a perfect example of it.

The mere thought of “beef casserole” doesn’t conjure up many exciting thoughts. In fact, it sounds rather humdrum. However, the taste is far from humdrum. It’s savory, delicious and has just the right amount of piquantness to make your taste buds sing.

A Natural With Beef

One of the subtle flavors in this beef casserole is–wait for it–horseradish. Well, actually horseradish cream sauce.

While the Brits love a gravy, more often than not you’ll see them use horseradish cream with a roast beef. The good news is, this product is also sold here. I can find it in my local grocery so I’m sure you can find it in yours. It’s either in the aisle where other prepared condiments, i.e., Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, are sold. Otherwise you’ll find it over by the service deli.

I’m sure there’s recipes for it on the net if you want to make it yourself, but to me it’s easier to buy it. It’s potent too so don’t expect a wishy-washy taste. When I open one and take a sniff, my sinuses are immediately clear!!!

Worcestershire Or Soy Sauce

The British recipes for this type of stew call almost invariably for Worcestershire sauce. Honestly, I’m not a huge fan unless there’s only a scant amount of the stuff.

Whenever anything calls for more than a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce in a volume such as this one, I substitute soy sauce. I just find the flavor to be more pleasant. They’re pretty much interchangeable for what they are used for even though they taste different.

The Recipe

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Beef Casserole

Rich beef casserole that’s perfect for chilly nights

Prep Time20

Cook Time2 31

Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: British

Keyword: beef recipes, beef stew, british recipe, comfort food, horseradish, stew recipe

Servings: 8

Calories: 434kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3 tbs oil
3 1/2 lb beef chuck stewing meat also braising beef in UK
3 large onions roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves crushed or finely chopped
10 oz beef stock
2 tbs flour
10 oz dry white wine
3 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs light brown sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb fresh mushrooms halved
3 tbs Dijon mustard
3 tbs creamed horseradish sauce
3-4 tbs heavy cream optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a deep, heavy-based, flameproof, lidded casserole over a high heat. Add the beef, in batches if necessary, and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until browned all over. Remove the meat from the casserole using a slotted spoon and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the onions and garlic and fry, stirring well, for 4-5 minutes, or until softened, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the casserole using a wooden spoon. Stir in the beef stock.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour with a little of the wine until smooth, then gradually pour in the remaining wine, whisking until combined to a smooth batter with the consistency of thick cream.
Return the browned beef to the casserole, then pour over the wine and flour mixture. Bring to the boil, stirring until thickened, then add the Worcestershire sauce and sugar and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover the casserole with the lid, reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering, and simmer very gently for 2 hours, stirring from time to time (may also be cooked in a 325F/160C oven).
After 2 hours, add the mushrooms, return the mixture to the boil, then cover again, reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering, and simmer for a further 30 minutes, or until the meat is tender.
Mix the mustard, horseradish and cream (if using) a bowl until well combined. Just before serving, stir it into the beef casserole.

Notes

Soy sauce may be used instead of Worcestershire sauce.

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Coq Au Vin

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 03 Feb 2019 00:00:31 +0000

Coq au vin is the perfect meal on a cold winter evening.

Provincial Classic

Nothing says French Provincial cooking better than coq au vin. While it may sound fancy with the French name, all it is is a chicken stew.

Coq au vin is pretty easy to make too. It’s not a dish that should be reserved for special occasions either. In France, it’s an every-day meal.

It’s perfect for winter because it has a long-ish cook time if made conventionally or in the slow cooker. If you want it quickly, it’s easily converted to Instant Pot cooking too. It’s hearty and filling. It’s also inexpensive so it’s easy on the budget as well.

The Wine

Where most who cook with wine usually use white wine when preparing chicken. Coq au vin is a bit unusual in that it uses red wine.

The choice of red is, of course, up to you. However, you’re best sticking with a full-bodied red that’s dry but not overly dry. Dessert wines won’t work here and likewise, I wouldn’t use an extra-dry wine like chianti. But of course if you like it, use it! I chose a Pinot Noir for this and it worked perfectly.

This dish can made with white wine. I think Mary Berry makes a coq au vin with white wine. I haven’t done this but it does sound interesting and yes, delicious. So if you’re out of red wine and only have white, by all means substitute it.

The Veggies

Traditionally, you use carrots, mushrooms and shallots in most recipes.

Since shallots are a bit pricy and you use a lot of them in this, I chose to use frozen pearl onions. They’re a lot cheaper and more importantly, are ready to use. You can, of course, use shallots if you want to do so. About 10-12 smallish ones will do. You can also use fresh small white boiling onions–they’re a pain to prep though. Where I’d like to tell you plain old yellow cooking onions would be good here, I can’t because they won’t. They’ll dissolve so you won’t get that nice textural thingy you would with the whole shallots or pearl onions.

The Recipe

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Coq Au Vin

Coq au vin is the perfect meal on a cold winter evening.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Main

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Coq au vin

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 745kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 chicken pieces assorted thighs and drums
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup red wine I used Pinot Noir
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 ribs celery chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
3 sprigs thyme OR a good pinch of dry
14 oz frozen pearl onions
2 cups baby carrots
1 cup button mushrooms
salt to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown chicken well on each side; remove and set aside.
Saute the celery and garlic in the same pan for about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
Gradually add the wine, stirring constantly so no lumps form. Add the stock, pepper, thyme and baby carrots; stir. Place the chicken back in the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Taste the pan juices and add any salt to taste. Add the pearl onions and mushrooms. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Nutrition

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Ale-Braised Short Ribs

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 09 Dec 2018 00:00:48 +0000

These ale-braised short ribs are just like you’d get in an English country pub.

Beef And Ale

You can’t find anything more British than the combination of beef with a good hearty ale.

The Brits love their beef and they are fond of a bit of ale too. The flavors combine well here. This is true “gastro pub” food like you’d get in a pub in the English countryside.

Since I haven’t been to a country pub in decades (my late Aunt Sue’s place in Aylesbury), I had to improvise. I actually haven’t been to Britain since 1972 when my sister got married so I had to bring the UK to America with this dish.

One caveat is that the ale produces a distinct flavor with bitter undertones. If you are not fond of that flavor or you’re feeding young children, substitute the ale for a lighter beer or just use all beef stock.

Long Slow Cooking

While this recipe can be adapted to a slow cooker, I prefer to do this in the oven. The reasoning for that is the slight reduction of the liquid. I find that crock pot cooking results in way too much liquid which results in a “steamed” flavor and not a roasted one.

I always choose to cook stews and things such as these short ribs in heavy cast-iron pots. My Le Creuset 7 QT French Oven was the perfect vessel. However, any heavy cast-iron dutch oven will do the job nicely because cast iron provides a steady and even heating.

Short ribs require a rather long cook time for tenderness. You want the meat tender, but not overcooked. I’ve found that approximately 3 hours does the trick here. Plus in the cold weather, I don’t mind running the oven for longer periods of time–obviously! Suffice to say that this isn’t a meal I’d do in mid summer!

Make A Day Ahead

Just like pot roast, this will improve the next day.

Short ribs are fatty. Therefore the resulting gravy will be as well. If you make them the day before, you can remove a lot of that fat.

Just refrigerate the ribs and veggies separately from the juice. Then it’s easy to discard the congealed fat that is on top of the juice.

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The Recipe

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Ale-Braised Short Ribs

These ale-braised short ribs are just like you’d get in an English country pub. Tender and full of flavor!

Prep Time30

Cook Time3

Total Time3 30

Course: Main

Cuisine: British

Keyword: braised short ribs, short ribs

Servings: 5

Calories: 829kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

5 lbs (8-10) beef short ribs weight includes the bones
16 oz high-quality ale (I used Arrogant Bastard)—see NOTES
1 cup beef stock
1/4 cup flour
1 cup pearl onions frozen is OK
2 cups carrots cut in chunks
2 lbs small red potatoes
3 sprigs fresh thyme OR 1/2 tsp dried
1 large bay leaf
1 tbs olive oil

Instructions

Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oil then brown the short ribs on all sides—you may have to do this in batches. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Drain any fat from the pan. Deglaze the pan with the beef stock and add the bay leaf and thyme.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Place the flour to a large bowl and gradually whisk in the ale so there are no lumps. Add the ale/flour mixture to the pan and stir until slightly thickened and put the short ribs back in the pan, cover and place in the oven; cook for 2 hours.
Add the carrots, potatoes and pearl onions; stir. Bake, covered, for an additional hour or until ribs are tender.

Notes

A good-quality ale imparts a strong flavor with bitter undertones. You can substitute regular beer if the strong flavor is not to your liking. If you don’t want any bitterness, substitute beef stock for the ale/beer.

Nutrition

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Oven Beef Stew

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 06 Oct 2018 23:00:41 +0000

Slow oven roasting is the key to the great flavor of this beef stew.

Slow Roasted Flavor

The secret to this beef stew’s marvelous flavor is the slow roasting.

This one’s cooked in the oven. That may seem a bit unusual since most of us have been making stew for years on the stove top, slow cooker or pressure cooker.

All those methods are very good, but there’s something about the oven’s dry heat that brings out this beef stew’s best flavors. They meld slowly and there’s some reduction in the gravy even though it’s cooked covered. If you’ve made reduction sauces, you know how good they taste because the flavors intensify.

Now a word about the gravy and the browning–you don’t dredge the meat in seasoned flour in this recipe. Instead, you whisk the flour into the wine. That way it’s distributed better and there’s absolutely no lumps in your gravy (which makes itself!).

Cast Iron Is Best

If you have a cast iron dutch oven, this is definitely the recipe you want to cook in it. It really doesn’t matter if your pot is standard “seasoned” cast iron or one that has the enamel coating. Because of the even way cast iron heats, it will cook this stew to a turn.

I cooked this in my new Le Creuset 7 quart dutch oven. I’m telling you it is really worth the money. I used to keel over at the prices, but I finally broke down and bought one. It’s worth every penny.

However, you don’t have to spend a fortune on a pot for the stew to come out perfectly. Even inexpensive cast iron does a great job. The only caveat here is that the pot must have a cover, but I assume all dutch ovens do.

Fresh Bay Leaves

I recently began using fresh bay leaves. The British seem to use the fresh variety. My sister, who lives in Surrey, even has a laurel tree. I didn’t believe her when she said fresh bay is far superior to the dried kind. She was right!

This recipe calls for three bay leaves and that is the amount for fresh. If you cannot get the fresh ones, use four of the dried ones.

I find the fresh bay in those little clam shell packages in the herb section of my local store. If you’re not lucky enough to have a tree, that’s where you’ll find them and trust me, the taste is far superior!

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Oven Beef Stew

Slow oven roasting is the key to the great flavor of this beef stew.

Prep Time15

Cook Time3

Total Time3 15

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef recipe, beef stew, oven beef stew

Servings: 8

Calories: 417kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3 lbs beef for stew
2 tbs oil plus a bit extra if necessary
1 cup red wine I used port
6 tbs flour
2 cups beef stock see NOTES
2 cups carrots cut in large chunks
4 large potatoes cut in large chunks
1 cup pearl onions
2 tbs brown sugar optional
3 fresh bay leaves see NOTES
5 sprigs fresh thyme OR 1 tsp dried thyme
2 cups fresh small button mushrooms OR regular size, cut in half
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Heat oil in a large (6-8 qt) oven-proof dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown well on all sides. You may have to do this in batches and some extra oil may be necessary.
While the last batch of meat is browning, place the flour in a medium bowl and whisk in the wine gradually so that no lumps form; set aside.
Add the browned meat back to the dutch oven. Whisk the wine mixture again so it’s well combined, then add it to the meat. Stir until it begins to thicken. Then, stir in the beef stock. Stir in the brown sugar (if using), the bay leaves and the thyme.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the carrots, potatoes and pearl onions.
Cover and bake for 2-2 1/2 hours, or until meat is tender. Add the mushrooms and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Notes

If you cannot get fresh bay leaves, use 4 of the dry ones

If you like more gravy with the stew, add more beef stock--a reader added 2 more cups (see comments)

Nutrition

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Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Hot Pot

Judith Hannemann — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:41 +0000

Leftover ham from New Years? Make this delicious ham and bean hot pot!

Have a nice meaty ham bone left from your New Year’s ham dinner?

Here’s the perfect way to use it and your slow cooker.

Making a meal out of what’s leftover is always a joy to me, plus it’s easy on the budget too. Especially if it tastes good.

Some may call this a soup and some may call it a stew–both are correct, but I make this so it’s closer to a stew. Anyone familiar with British cuisine (some would say the word “cuisine” is used loosely LOL) know that the northern part of the UK is somewhat famous for their “hot pots.” Typically a hot pot contains lamb, potatoes and various veggies. This is nowhere close to the traditional dish–here it’s more of a texture thing.

You can thin this down to make soup if you like or leave it the way it is for a meal that has a chew factor involved.

Add any veggies you like to this for even more taste and color. I kept this one simple because I can add to it what I like when I make the leftovers. And speaking of leftovers, you’ll have quite a bit with this. I generally freeze it in 1-2 serving portions.

I used a combo of great northern and navy beans in this one, but substitute any beans you have on hand or the ones you like. I do soak my beans overnight because it doing so seems to quell some of the embarrassing aspects of beans, but with slow cooking, you really don’t have to and if you regularly include beans in your diet, then generally you don’t suffer the after effects of the oligosaccharides. I also add any salt almost at the end of cooking since I like my beans very soft. If you like more of a “crunch” to your beans, then add it at the beginning.

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Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Hot Pot

Leftover ham from New Years? Make this delicious ham and bean hot pot! Have a nice meaty ham bone left from your New Year’s ham dinner? Here’s the perfect way to use it and your slow cooker.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time10 5

Course: Comfort Foods, Pork, Slow Cooker

Cuisine: American

Keyword: ham, slow cooker recipes

Servings: 10

Calories: 154kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb dried beans I used 1/2 navy and 1/2 great northern*
6 cups water
1 meaty smoked ham bone
1 bay leaf
5 whole peppercorns
2 cloves garlic crushed
Salt to taste I add almost at the end--see post as to why

Instructions

*Soak beans overnight, if desired. Just put them in a big pot and add water until they're covered by 1-2-inches of water. Drain and pick out the shriveled or bad looking ones.
Place all ingredients except for salt in a 5+ quart slow cooker.
Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low, 5-8 hours on high (cook times are approximate)

Nutrition

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