Grandma's Beef Stew

When snow came down on a perfectly fine spring day in North Carolina's Piedmont we decided to test out an all American old-fashioned beef stew.

We gave the whole affair 2 1/2 hours with plenty of time to skip out. First we dusted 1 1/2 lb. of chopped up stew meat in a quarter cup of flour and a good bit of pepper.

Then we browned it with olive oil in our casserole pot in 2 batches.

We took out the meat and added about 1 cup of red wine and roughly 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Over medium heat we loosened all the crunchy beef bits and then added 2 bay leaves, 1 quart of beef broth, and the meat, brought the whole shebang to a boil and let it simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.

Then we pealed and chopped 1 medium onion, 5 carrots, and 3 potatoes. They were added to the stew for another 30 minutes. At the end we measured the consistency of the broth and took off the lid for a while. We also nibbled on the potatoes to call for dinner when they were just right.

A little salt and pepper - Voila! Mama and Papa got a finish off the left over wine as we dug in. It was just right. Warming our bones and leaving us without a care in the world. Of course the snow was all melted and gone by the time we were done.

Slow Cooker - Goulash

Now here is one to remember. A goulash by way of a slow cooker. Another step in the quest to finding 8 hour slow cooking ideas for that Time-Tugging-Tuesday of ours. Check it out:

We started by cutting up 2 pounds of good quality happy cow beef into chunks and searing it well in olive oil together with 8 slices of chopped up bacon (we have since seared the bacon first, all crispy, and have set it aside).

We chopped up 1 whole big onion and 3 cloves of garlic. When the beef looked good we added first the onion for 5 to 8 minutes and then the garlic for a short bit.

Next we added about 1 tablespoon of caraway seeds, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, red pepper spice, salt, and pepper.

After another minute we added 1 glass worth of red wine and let it cook away.

That gave us enough time to cut up 1 red pepper. 

All that we placed into the slow cooker and covered it with 1 quart of vegetable broth. We let it cook on low for 8 hours +.

To serve we offered creme fraiche, parsley, and some crusty bread. Voila! 

It was delicious. Despite the fact that a discussion broke out on what the 5 major food groups are. And that we were basically shoving down a big bowl of meat. Which Lena especially had no objection to.

Grandpa's (Red Wine) Sauce

We were staying over at Nana and Grandpa's place for the holidays in their century old Southern Indiana log home equipped with a stupendous kitchen. For one of the main courses of scrumptious dinners Grandpa asked the TGLF test kitchen to provide a sauce for his roast beef.  He turned us in effect into his sauciers. After a bit of looking around, reading, and daydreaming we cobbled together this red wine sauce. (We were feeding quite a crowd; for a regular size family, half of each would suffice.)

The whole thing took about an hour and a half with plenty of time in-between for a few rounds of Rummy. For starters, we chopped up 2 shallots and 8 oz of mushrooms (the exact amount is unknown as nibbling around the edges could not be contained).

Next we melted 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauce pan.

We added the shrooms and onions as well as roughly half a tablespoon of sugar and a good pinch of salt.

We sauted the goodness for ten minutes or so and then added several sprigs of thyme, about 3 tablespoons of peppercorns, and one bottle of dry red wine.

All of that we brought to a simmer and let it boil actively for a good 15 minutes, letting the sauce cook down quite a bit and the aroma waft through the house, causing hungry heads sticking through the doorways.

Then we added one more bottle of red wine and let that cook down for another 15 to 20 minutes, starting to time it with the arrival of the meat.

After the sauce had again cooked down and all those tastes were emulsifying into a rich stew we added one quart of beef broth.

We let it cook down a third time for another 15 to 20 minutes and then ran it through a sieve, catching all the solids.

We wiped the pot clean and melted 2 more tablespoons of butter. Next Lily carefully whisked the butter while we slowly added 2 tablespoons of flour, creating a thick creamy brown base.

Then we added the wine sauce while we continued to whisk.

Before we served we let it cook in for another few minutes, making sure the rest of the dinner was served, and adjusting the seasoning with a little salt and pepper to taste.

There it was. Just delicious. A rich warm silky sauciness. Yum!

Mama Pasta #2 (and our nine steady rules for cooking pasta)

For another cranky tired last day of the week we turned to our Mama Pasta again (see below). We changed it up a bit and also thought long and hard on our rules for engagement on pasta.

As far as the sauce was concerned (see below), we added about a glass worth of red wine right after the veggies were softened and smelling yummy and before we tossed in the tomatoes. It gave an extra kick and a bit of depth to it all.

Now here are our 9 no-brake rules for cooking a pot of dried pasta:

1. Use a LOT of water.

2. Use a LOT of sea salt. We have heard how those crazy sea-side Italians go down to the ocean with their pot and scoop up the real deal. We throw at least three heaped table spoons of salt in there. And when no one is looking a fourth.

3. Respect the pasta.

4. Stirr. And Stirr. And Stirr.

5. Keep it boiling

6. Munch on cheese while you wait.

7. Time the extraction just right. Best way is to have Lily keep testing a piece when you think it's getting close. She calls it just before they are tilting to soft. They are still a bit on the hard side before we pull them out. We don't want them to end up all mushy.

8. Keep them from cooking any further after you drained them as good as you can. Serve them right away.

9. If we don't mix them with other ingredients we add a dash of olive oil to keep them loose and flirtatious.

Mmmh. Everybody's mood turned up a notch tonight.

Giblets Gravy (thanksgiving # 3)

For our gravy we browned the giblets and then added some diced onions for a while.

We chopped up some celery, carrots, sage and rosemary,

tossed them to the giblets and waited for all the good smells to waft through the kitchen.

Then we added a bit of red wine and vegetable broth and cooked the whole bit for an hour (Papa got a sip for his patience).

Then we ran it through a sieve and whisked in some flour. We seasoned a little till it was all hearty goodness.