Make-Ahead meals

Lamb Shanks with Flageolet Beans

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

lamb with beans

Since next week is going to be all about the bird, I decided to give my husband lamb this week. Everyone in my family loves lamb in all of its forms, but I especially love lamb shanks because they are so easy to make in so many different ways and they are always hearty and delicious. They may not be a show-stopping “company” dish, but anyone who eats this homey meal will be glad that they are considered family.

The lamb shanks I got were on the large side – about 1.5 pounds each, so just two of them will give me dinner for four. However, sometimes they come a lot smaller, so how much you use will depend on the size of the shank. The presentation has a bit more of the wow factor when you serve someone an entire shank, but the taste is just as wonderful if you serve the meat off of the bone, as I did here. Whoever does get the bone will have the added plus of getting the marrow to enjoy. Careful measuring is not necessary here. And if you don’t have flageolet beans, those wonderful pale green, small, slightly kidney-shaped French beans, then use a good white bean – a Great Northern or cannellini or some large heirloom bean. This dish takes LOTS of garlic and fresh rosemary, but the slow cooking removes any of the bite from the garlic, leaving just that wonderful flavor where you can eat entire cloves and go “yummmmmmmmm.” I made it last night in a Dutch oven for tonight’s dinner. You could probably do this in a slow cooker as well once you have browned the lamb.

Lamb Shanks with Flageolet Beans

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups flageolet or large dried white beans, soaked for 8 hours or overnight

3 Tablespoons EVOO

1 onion, chopped

1 generous Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

10-12 cloves of fresh garlic

3 cups chicken stock, preferably unsalted

4 lamb shanks – about 1/2 -3/4 pound each

About 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, seasoned with Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper and whatever dried herbs you like (oregano, thyme, rosemary) for dredging

1 pound baby carrots

2 cups cooked, mashed butternut squash or pumpkin puree (optional)

1/4 cup hearty red wine (whatever you plan on drinking with this or whatever you have left-over) (optional)

Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Dredge (this just means roll the shanks in the flour to coat) the lamb shanks in the seasoned flour and shake off any excess
  2. In a Dutch oven or covered casserole dish, heat the EVOO. When the oil is hot, place the shanks in and turn and cook on a medium high heat until nicely browned. Add the onion and stir until softened.
  3. Drain the beans. Add all of the other ingredients to the casserole. If you are using salted chicken stock, only add about a teaspoon of salt at this point. You can always add more later.
  4. Bring to a heavy simmer, cover the Dutch oven/casserole and reduce the heat so the ingredients simmer but do not boil. This can then be cooked on the stove for 2.5 hours or in a 325 degree preheated oven, until the lamb is practically falling off of the bone and the beans are tender. Check occasionally and give a stir to make sure that nothing is sticking and that you have enough liquid. If it is getting a bit dry, you can add more stock. Taste and adjust your seasonings to taste.
  5. This can all be done ahead and warmed when you are ready to eat it. I think it actually gets even more rich and flavorful if made a day ahead. Serve with bread and salad.

Split Pea Soup with Smoked Turkey

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

split peas

As soon as there is any chill in the air, I want to make soups and stews. And I am the kind of person that generally likes a soup to be thick enough to stand up a spoon! I think about and read about and plan food ALL the time, but I am not into chi-chi foods. The very thought that people pay good money to have a mist of  truffle reduction sprayed in their direction and have it called “dinner” is unfathomable to me. I appreciate innovation as much as the next person, but when I sit down to a meal, I want to know what I am eating and I want it to have real bite and mouth-feel. Pea soup is not especially pretty and likely will not be served at an elegant dinner, but there are few more sole-satisfying soups on a chilly night. Serve it with good bread and a salad and you have dinner. This can easily be made ahead – even frozen – and it will just get better and better as long as you don’t burn it when re-warming it. I make a LOT. It makes great lunches for the week as well. You can easily halve this recipe. There is just something so safe and comforting having a big pot of soup on the stove….    Split pea soup

Split Pea Soup

Yields: About 3 quarts of soup

Ingredients

2 pounds split green peas or a mix of green and yellow

3-4 stalks of celery, with leaves, sliced

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 large parsnip, peeled and sliced

1 large turnip, peeled and cubed

2 smallish potatoes (red or Yukon Gold), peeled and diced

2-3 smoked turkey legs (I look for the ones with the darkest color) You can also used a smoked pork butt or ham hocks

1 teaspoon whole cloves

6 cups broth (chicken, or beef is fine)

6 cups tap water

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Place the smoked turkey legs in a large Dutch Oven or heavy pot with a lid. smoke turkey legs
  2. Rinse the split peas in a colander and pick out any stones or things that don’t look like they belong (it’s generally some other grain or a pea that didn’t split properly). Immediately add them to the pot. If they sit in the strainer for too long they will stick together like cement!
  3. Add all of the other ingredients to the pot except for the salt and pepper. pea soup ingredientsAlways add these at the end. Since I am using homemade stock, it is unsalted. You can buy unsalted stock and I recommend that, but if you use stock with salt, wait to adjust seasonings since the salt may become more intense with cooking.
  4. Cover the pot and slowly bring to a simmer. This is a abig pot and you don’t want to rush it and have the peas burn.
  5. When the liquid comes to a simmer, skim it if necessary to remove any scummy stuff, which is actually just some of the protein being given off by the turkey. I didn’t need to skim this time.
  6. Once the pot is simmering, make sure it is covered tightly and let it gently simmer for 2 hours. Periodically check it and give the pot a stir so the peas don’t stick to the bottom and burn. You should have enough liquid. but if you must add some, add boiling water so everything is covered by about 2 inches of liquid.
  7. Once the two hours are up, allow the soup to cool. Once it is cool enough to handle, remove the turkey legs and on a cutting board, remove the skin and bones with your fingers. Keep the meat to the side until you finish the next step. If you are using a pork butt, just remove the butt and cube the meat.
  8. You can puree the soup using a food mill or an immersion blender. Frances and my son gave me an immersion blender a couple of years ago and it is one of the most beloved kitchen appliances I have. It’s even ORANGE!
  9. Now add the meat back to the pot. Check your seasonings and add your salt and pepper to taste.

NOTE: When this soup cools down, you WILL be able to stand a spoon up. Don’t rush to add liquid to thin it out. Gently warm it and only after you see the consistency, consider adding any additional liquid.

Short Ribs with Brown Ale and Buckwheat Honey

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short ribs with polenta

Today is one of those dismal grey days, where it can’t quite decide if it will rain or just spit at you! The temperature has begun to drop and this makes me want soups and stews – those deep, rich blends that get better when made ahead and that will last me throughout the week. Today I’m trying a recipe from the Food 52 blog that Frances introduced me to. Of course, I have to put my own spin on it, so here is my version. The whole house will just smell wonderful. It calls for buckwheat honey and you really shouldn’t substitute that. Buckwheat honey has a very rich, earthy, distinctive flavor that will perfectly compliment the brown ale and stone ground mustard. If you can’t find it in your store, then you can always get it online where I get so many things – Amazon. I also use it when I am baking my vegan challah. It lends a richness and color to the challah that would otherwise be missing because I am not using eggs.

Short Ribs with Brown Ale and Buckwheat Honey – adapted from Merrill Stubbs

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil or Grapeseed Oil

5 pounds of meaty shorty ribs (ask your butcher to cut eat rib into 2 pieces, with some pieces on the bone and some not)

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

1 very large onion, chopped

6-8 cloves of garlic, minced

3 generous Tablespoons stone-ground mustard

1/3 cup buckwheat honey

18 ounces good quality brown ale (I just went to my local liquor store and chose a bottle that had notes that sounded good to me and was within my budget)

1 bay leaf (fresh if possible, but dried is fine)

3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds about 1/4 inch thick

1 very large or 2 smaller parsnips, peeled and sliced into rounds or half moons depending on the circumference

2-3 Tablespoons flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the oil in a 7 quart heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the ribs generously with the salt and pepper and brown them on all sides. Don’t crowd the pan or the pieces won’t brown properly. I did this in three batches, placing the finished pieces on a platter.
  2. After you have removed the short ribs from the Dutch oven, see how much fat is left in the bottom of the pan. Don’t worry about any brown bits – they will be dealt with, I promise! My ribs actually had very little fat, so I didn’t need to pour any off. You want to end up with 2-3 Tablespoons of fat/oil in the Dutch oven. Then add the onoin and garlic and stir until softened and it begins to carmelize. Use a wooden spoon and scrape up the brown bits as you go. This should take about 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in the mustard, honey, brown ale and bay leaf. Return the meat to the pan and make sure that the sauce coats the meat.
  4. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cover the pan tightly. Place in the oven for 1.5 hours. Then add in the carrots and parsnip and cook for another hour.
  5. If you want a thicker sauce, you can remove the ribs and veggies with a slotted spoon. Skim as much fat as possible (If you make this ahead and can refrigerate it, skimming the fat becomes a cinch. If not, it’s still not that hard.) Reduce the sauce by simmering it until it reduces to the desired thickness. Adjust any seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if you like. Add the meat and veggies back and spoon the sauce over the top. Serve it with mashed potatoes, noodles or polenta and garnish with some chopped parsley. A green salad and an apple tart and this is a dish fit for friends and family.

Crock Pot Short Ribs

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 2 Comments

As my friend recently told me, crock pots are a gift to the modern, working woman who is still getting delicious meals on the table.  My crock pot was one of the first things I purchased once I had enough space and it has served me so well over the years.  From chilis to stews to braises like this, it saves so much time, and you wake up in the morning to glorious smells of dinner already done!

_MG_5932

I made a few additions to the original Bon Appetit recipe that only called for mushrooms, and added a mix of onions, carrots and celery and wow, did this turn out delicious as always.  You can serve this over polenta, couscous, or just with a side of mashed potatoes.  I happened to have some polenta left over (in the freezer, no less) and so just heated that up and topped it with the beef.  Let’s be serious, the real star here is the braised short ribs!

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 pounds 3-inch-long beef short ribs
  • Coarse kosher salt
  • 2 cups dry red wine
  • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
  • 1 6-ounce package sliced button mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrots
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 6 fresh Italian parsley sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Crusty bread

Directions

  1. Sprinkle ribs with coarse salt and pepper. Place in even layer in slow cooker. Add next 9 ingredients, cover, and cook on low heat until meat is tender, about 8 hours.
  2. Using slotted spoon, transfer ribs to serving bowl. Discard parsley and bay leaves. Spoon fat off top of sauce and pour sauce over ribs. Serve with bread.

Serves about 4

Adapted from Bon Appetit “Braised Short Ribs”

Who knew that being frugal could taste this good?

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chicken with lentils

One of the very early TV chefs on WTTW Public Television was someone called Jeff Smith aka The Frugal Gourmet. I used to watch him with my mother and I even bought two of his cookbooks. The recipes are generally quite good and he was kind of a kook – fun to watch and read and seemingly unpretentious.

Unfortunately, his name and show went down in flames when it came out that he was also a sexual predator. I seriously considered tossing his cookbooks when I found out, but I came to my senses and realized that the recipes were innocent of any wrong-doing and I had already spent the money years earlier.

I was looking for a particular recipe when I came across the one I am making for tonight’s dinner – Chicken and Lentils. I will serve it with pita and a green saladwith heirloom tomatoes. A crusty bread is also fine. This is real comfort food – meant for family and close friends. It is not highly spiced, but it is deliciously seasoned. One perfect bite and you will just smile.

Chicken with Lentils – adapted from the Frugal Gourmet

Yields: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups lentils, rinsed (I’m using red lentils but almost any kind will do)

1 generous teaspoon crushed or finely minced garlic (You can buy the jars in the produce section. It saves time and I go through it so quickly it stays fresh.)

1 teaspoon salt

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons oregano, crushed between your fingers

1 teaspoon dried dill weed, crushed between your fingers

4 cups unsalted chicken stock (You can use all water if you prefer.)

up to 2 cups water

3-4 pounds chicken pieces bone-in, skin on

Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

4 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (Juice of about 2 lemons)

2 cups plain Greek yogurt

3 -4 Tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish

Sumac (optional) for garnish

Directions:

  1. Rinse the lentils and place them in a 6 quart pot with the garlic, bay leaves, oregano, dill, salt and chicken stock. Add enough water to cover the lentils by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, partially cover the pot and turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook for about 35-45 minutes until the lentils are very tender but still are holding their shape. (This may vary a little depending on the lentils you use.)
  2. Add the lemon juice to the finished lentils.  Set aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  4. In a heavy-duty pan (I love, love, love Lodge cast iron) brown your chicken pieces in Canola oil (or some other oil that can take the heat and won’t add a lot of flavor) after lightly seasoning them with the Kosher salt and cracked black pepper.
  5. Place the browned pieces into a casserole or Dutch Oven.
  6. Pour the lentil mixture over the top. Cover and bake in the 350 degree oven for 1.25 hours.
  7. Serve with a good dollop of Greek Yogurt and some chopped parsley for garnish. Sprinkle with a little Sumac, that wonderful fruity, lemony Middle Eastern spice which can be purchased in Middle Eastern grocery stores or online at Nuts.com. I love lemon so I squeezed on a bit more just before taking that first perfect bite.

Greek Red Lentil Soup

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 3 Comments

finished red lentil soupThe days are so changeable now. One day its 90 and humid and the next it’s in the 60s. Soup is the perfect meal for days like that and this simple, and very flavorful Greek red lentil soup is vegan and totally satisfying. However, if you wish to add some sausage to it or a dollop of Greek yogurt when serving it, I certainly won’t complain. All this needs is good bread and a simple green salad. This soup is so quick and delicious, I have even made it before leaving the house for work! What’s not to love? Afterall, Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of these delicious lentils.

Greek Red Lentil Soup adapted from soup served at George’s Restaurant in Astoria, NY

Yield: 6 -8 first course servings or 4 dinner servings

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons EVOO

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

2 carrots diced or cut into rounds about 1/8 inch thick (about 1 cup)

2 stalks celery, sliced thinly or diced (about 1 cup)

4 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock

1 cup water

2 bay leaves

1.5 cups dried red lentils, picked through and rinsed (try to buy the really small red lentils, although either large or small will work) dried red lentils

1 28 ounce can or 1 large box of Pomi chopped tomatoes, with the liquid

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

Fresh basil leaves or fresh thyme for serving (optional)

Directions:

  1. In a 5-6 quart pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent – about 3 minutes
  2. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and saute for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally (How much salt you use will depend on several factors: tomatoes and celery are high in natural sodium and I use unsalted stock. I don’t like things heavily salted becasue I want to taste the food not the salt. However, your tastes may be different and you may use stock that is already salted. You can always add salt later.)
  3. Add the celery and carrot and saute for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. lentil soup stage 1
  4. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot partially and simmer for 35 minutes, or until the lentils and vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

NOTE: The soup is ready to go at this point, but if you are serving it as a first course to company and you want it to be a bit more elegant, take an immersion blender (thank you Matthew and Frances for that wonderful GIFT!) and puree the soup to the desired consistency. You can do this in a blender but make certain that the soup is cool and you do this in batches. I learned the hard way about the mess that blending hot soup can make. Garnish with fresh basil leaves or fresh thyme if you have it.

Ratatouille Nicoise

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RatatouilleIt always REALLY annoys me when a recipe calls for a little of this and a little of that. What am I supposed to do with the rest of the “this and that?” If you read my recipe for savory galette you would quickly realize that you have left-over zucchini and eggplant. Well who wants to waste great ingredients?

eggplants

This ratatouille recipe is the perfect answer. It’s so versatile and delicious that I make it even when I don’t have left-overs – just because! Ratatouille is a savory stew of vegetables and I have used it as a side to grilled meats, fish or an omelette. It makes a wonderful pasta sauce and if you dice the vegetables fairly small, it can make a wow appetizer by filling baked puff pastry cups with it (you might drain a bit of the liquid off when using it this way). It’s equally delicious hot or at room temperature so is a wonderful side to bring to picnics. It stores well in the fridge and actually intensifies in flavor after the first day. The following recipe is one I have been making for decades and I have no recollection of where it originated. I have tweaked it over the years as I do just about everything, but my apologies for not giving credit to whoever first came up with this. And while I do make this in the oven according to the recipe, in the summer when it is hot, I do it entirely on the stove so I don’t heat up the apartment. Truthfully, it’s just as good either way.

Ratatouille Nicoise                                             ratatouille2

Yields: About 10 cups

Ingredients:

1/2 cup EVOO

2 cups coarsely chopped onion

2 Tablespoons finely chopped garlic

about 1 pound eggplant, trimmed and cubed

2 sweet peppers, any color

6 slim zucchini, any color

1-2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

26.46 oz. Pomi tomatoes or 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes crushed or chopped, with liquid

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1/8 teaspoon (or more if you like things very spicy) hot red pepper flakes (Optional)

About 24 imported black olives (pitted makes life easier, but you can put them in with pits – just warn your eaters!) (SEE NOTE)

About 24 imported green olives

2-3 Tablespoons capers

Salt and pepper to taste

One bunch finely chopped parsley

NOTE: Please buy the best olives you can and these days there is no excuse for using those tasteless olives in a can from California. I like the black oil-cured or Kalamatos olives and a variety of the green. If y ou don’t happen to live near a good source of olives, you can now purchase them online in vacuum-sealed bags, imported from Greece from Nuts.com – one of my favorite (and now Frances’) sources for nuts, dried fruits, spices and so much more.

Directions:

  1. Heat the EVOO in a large Dutch oven or heavy oven-proof pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook until they turn translucent.
  2. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring gently about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the sweet peppers and stir, cooking about 1 minute. Then add the zucchini and salt and pepper to taste. Go easy on the salt since you will be adding olives and capers which are both salty. Add the bay leaves and thyme and cook about 5 minutes more.
  4. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and add the olives and parsley. Cover tightly and cook about 10 minutes.
  5. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.

Spinach and Black-Eyed Peas – Greek-Style

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Spinach black-eyed peas finished

When I was a young girl, we used to shop in a grocery store whose produce section was run by a loud and generous Greek woman named Carla. She always had a smile, story and a treat for her special customers – and with Carla, everyone was special. One day she was telling us about this dish that her family made and it sounded delicious and easy to make. There never was a recipe – just Carla’s story – but ever since then I have been making this dish – first with my mother and now on my own. If it has a name, I don’t know it, but what I do know is that it is delicious and over the years I have never tired of making it. Now Frances makes it too.

I make mine with country pork ribs* (See Note) because that was how Carla told me the recipe, but I think it could be equally delicious with beef short ribs. You would simply need to adjust your cooking time to be somewhat longer for the beef, which also means you would add your black-eyed peas and spinach later. Try it that way and let me know how it works out. For now, here is my version of Carla’s family recipe.

Spinach and Black-Eyed Peas with Country Ribs

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 – 28 ounce can or 1 large box of crushed Marzano tomatoes with their liquid

4 meaty country ribs

2 Tablespoons EVOO

2 teaspoons finely chopped or crushed garlic

1/3 cup red wine (choose anything you would enjoy also drinking that deals well with tomato)

2 to 3 (15 ounce) cans ounces of black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed (See Note)

16 ounces of frozen chopped spinach or its equivalent fresh

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

1 -2 bay leaves

1 Tablespoon fresh oregano or 1.5 teaspoons good quality dried Greek oregano

1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

3 to 4 Tablespoons of fresh dill, chopped

NOTE: I have made this dish with fresh, canned and frozen black-eyed peas and it has always turned out delicious. If you use canned peas, be sure to drain and rinse the peas. I use two cans around 15 ounces each. If I can’t find frozen or fresh or canned black-eyed peas, I have also used Crowder beans. And while the dish called for spinach, I believe it would also be tasty (different) with kale or even collard greens. Don’t be afraid to try what is freshest or most easily available. I no longer eat pork, but made this with lamb shoulder chops and it was as delicious if not more so than with the country ribs.

Directions:

  1. Using a large, deep pan with a lid or a Dutch oven, sauté the onion in the EVOO until just beginning to get translucent – about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and stirring, gently, sauté this for another 3 minutes. I like to salt and pepper in layers. I don’t use any more this way, but I know that my onions are flavored and then my ribs etc.
  2. Add the ribs by pushing the onion and garlic towards the side of the pan and brown them quickly, turning once. This will only take a few minutes. You should have enough oil in the pan, but if you feel the need to add a smidgen more, that’s okay too. If your pan is hot, the ribs shouldn’t really stick. Spinach black-eyed peas stage 1
  3. Add your tomatoes, bay leaves and red wine. If you are using dried herbs, add them now. Bring to a boil, cover and turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.
  4. After 30 minutes, add your beans, spinach, fresh oregano, salt and pepper and cook for 15 -20 minutes more. Yup, that’s it! And when you eat this dish, raise a glass to Carla, wherever she may be.

Eat with a lovely crusty bread (something with sesames would be great) and salad and serve the remainder of the red wine. This can be made ahead and gently reheated.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 3 Comments

I think one of the first big family meals with Lisa and family involved this delicious carrot salad that she had made.  It was so flavorful and pretty and this was one of the recipes that kickstarted my love of cooking and recipe swapping with Lisa.  (Plus she promised it was easy to make and so I was sold!)  This is one of those refreshing salads that is much more exciting than a salad of greens (though those can be delicious as well) and pairs extremely nicely with hearty meat dishes, such as the Siniyeh that I’ve posted about.

MoroccanCarrots

Ingredients

    • 2.5-3 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into diagonal slices about ½” thick (for speed, you can purchase carrot chips)
    • ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    • ½ cup Balsamic Red Wine Vinegar
    • 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
    • 4-5 large cloves garlic crushed or finely chopped
    • 2T ground cumin
    • 2T sweet paprika or Spanish paprika which has a smoky flavor
    • ½ T Kosher salt
    • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Cook carrots until tender but still firm
2. Whisk together all other ingredients and toss gently but thoroughly with warm carrots.

From Lisa!

Make-Ahead Meals

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Beef Stufato1

We all lead busy lives today and I am no exception. I work full-time, volunteer and have the usual home and family obligations. And while I may have visions of recipes to make dancing around my brain like sugar plum fairies, the simple truth is that after a day at work, coming home to cook is not always at the top of my list. So meals that I can make ahead of time when I am feeling more ambitious about cooking are always welcome. Not only can you make this dish ahead, but it actually tastes even better on the second day! It also freezes well, so you can make a big batch and freeze it in individual portions for those nights when you want something satisfying and comforting but just don’t feel like cooking. You can get more complicated and cook up some wide noodles or rice, quinoa or any other grain you like. But for the easiest and simplest – just grab some crusty bread, make a quick green salad if you are feeling ambitious and you can sit down and sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh as you sip that Malbec or Cab and take your first forkful. A job well done!

Beef Stufato – Yields 4 servings (can be doubled or halved)

Ingredients:

2 pounds stew beef cut into 1.5 inch chunks

2 tablespoons EVOO

1 teaspoon dark brown sugar

2 medium yellow onions, sliced

1.5 – 2 cups dry red wine (I used a Malbec this time. NEVER EVER use a wine that you wouldn’t drink! If for some reason you can’t or won’t use wine, you can substitute a good quality beef stock.)

1 cup canned (actually I use tomatoes  from a box these days) Italian plum tomatoes with their liquid – diced or strained

5-6 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon each – dried basil and dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

8 ounces mushrooms sliced medium thick (optional)

Note: Stufato is very simple. I make a slightly more involved beef stew, with carrots, peas, pearl onions and turnip which I’ll include when the weather gets a bit cooler. This is simple, the amount of active work-time is short and the result is delicious.

Directions:

Heat oil in a heavy Dutch Oven over medium high heat. Add meat in batches and brown on all sides. Make sure that the meat is dry and do not crowd the pan or the meat won’t brown. Remove meat with tongs or a slotted spoon to a bowl and keep on the side until ready to add back.

Add the onion and brown sugar and saute until the onion begins to get limp and translucent. Stir in one cup of the wine. Add all remaining ingredients.Reduce the heat to simmer, cover tightly and cook for 1 hour.

Beef Stufato2

Add remaining 1/2 – 1 cup of wine and continue simmering for another hour. Adjust seasonings, discard the bay leaves and enjoy. If you want to garnish it, chiffonade (chop in thin strips) some fresh basil or add some fresh thyme.