Bar Food

I haven't posted much on here lately because things were a bit hectic with the Bar Exam. More to come now that law school has set me free!

Without much description, here are a few pictures of some memorable meals from the last two months.

Boeuf Bourguignon

There it is--the legendary--Boeuf Bourguignon. 

I have little orange original copy of Julia Child's The French Chef Cookbook that I use frequently. It's a collection of all the recipes she used on her television program, arranged by episode. Although her series usually featured a few recipes on each episode, the 96th show was dedicated exclusively to Boeuf Bourguignon. Make it right and you'll understand why. 

My little old book begins with the perfect quote from the chef herself, "When beef stew is in the oven, all's right with the world, and beef Bourguignon is the best beef stew known to man." Quite an introduction, Ms. Child, but spot on. 

When I made this recipe once before, something went wrong (probably in browning the beef correctly) that resulted in a tasty but not especially wonderful stew. Tried again with a few modifications from Julia's at times ambiguous recipe, the result was a show stopper. 

There are a lot of pictures with this recipe because it takes a lot of steps. See the recipe from Julia's book below for specific amounts of each ingredient. 

Start with a big, lean cut of beef and a meaty (not fatty) chunk of salt pork. If the pork has a tough rind, cut it off and discard, and also trim the excess fat from the beef. 

Beef--trimmed and cut into 2 inch by 2 inch chunks.

This is what Julia means by "lardons." Salt pork is usually sold pre-sliced  (similar to thick cut frying bacon), so just cut those slices into smaller bits. 

Now that the lardons are browned, remove them to the French oven without  taking much of the grease and fat out of the skillet. That's where the beef is heading!

Ok, this is pushing it on the amount of beef to add to the skillet at once... Separating the meat into two frying portions might help with the browning process in a smaller skillet. However, if possible, give all of the beef a chance to enjoy the bacon grease. Keeping the beef spread out enough as to prevent pieces stacking on top of each other is the key to browning--don't crowd it. 

See that piece to the right? That's 'browned.' All of the meat needs to have some degree of this crispy exterior before moving on. When that's happened, take out the beef and transfer to the French oven with the lardons, again preserving the grease and crust formed in the skillet. 

Pour the wine into the skillet and deglaze by stirring while bubbling. Make sure to brush  over the crunchy bits from the beef so that the bottom of the skillet feels clean and smooth. 

     

Pour the wine over the beef and lardons into the French oven. Notice that I allowed the wine to bubble in the skillet and stirred enough so that the pan looks 'clean' as the wine pours out. 

Once the wine is in the French oven, add the other stew ingredients--tomato paste, a bay leaf, a few garlic cloves (broken up) and some dried thyme. 

Add the beef broth and stir lightly to blend everything together. Some people insist upon making their own broths, but using a good quality pre-made broth (I like the Central Market or Pacific organic brands) will do just as well. 

Cover the casserole and stick it all in the lower portion of the oven.  For the first 20 minutes or so, continuously check the stew and regulate the temperature to keep it at a mild simmer. Mine found the right boil at about 235 degrees.

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While the stew is in the oven and close to being done, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Begin by dropping the onions into  some lively boiling water for a minute or so to loosen their skins. 

See, the boiling water is peeling the skins right off the onions. 

Drain the onions and cool them with cold water. Now, the skins should pop off  when you pinch the top of the onion with your fingers. 

Trim the onions up a little and set aside. I used a pair of kitchen shears to trim mine, which is easier than tackling these slippery guys with a knife. Note that these are not yet cooked--that comes later. 

Brown the mushrooms in butter and oil. Again, like the beef, don't crowd them and make sure to get a crispy brown effect. 

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Now the stew is ready to come out of the oven. 

This is the prepared butter and flour mixture that will thicken up the stew for serving. Said little orange book pictured in the background. 

Remove the beef from the casserole, removing as little juice as possible. Next, remove about 3/4 cup of the juice and stir into the flour and butter mixture. When it's reached a smooth consistency, add that mixture back into the juice in the casserole. 

Cook the previously prepared onions by boiling in a saute pan with butter and salt. Remove the onions after boiling for about 25 minutes and add the onion-boiling water to the beef juices in the casserole. 

Now add everything--the beef, the bacon, the mushrooms, and the onions--back to the stew. Mix it all up and let everything settle a few minutes before serving.  

This dish is served in a variety of ways--some like it over egg noodles, others over rice or potatoes.

Boeuf Bourgion, adapted from The French Chef Cookbook by Julia Child. 

          Tools: Large French oven or similar covered baking casserole, frying skillet for beef, bacon, and mushrooms. 

6 oz. salt pork, more meaty than fatty, and sliced into bite-sized bits

Olive oil or cooking oil

3 lb. lean beef roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch by 2-inch chunks (roughly) 

3 cups of a decent red wine. I used a $10 bottle of cab sauvignon. Keep in mind that the taste of this wine will play a direct 

        role in the taste of the stew, so don't get anything terrible. 

2 cups beef broth 

1 Tb tomato paste

3 big cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper as necessary

1 lb fresh mushrooms

6 tablespoons butter

18-24 small white pearl onions

3 Tb Flour

Preheat oven to 300. Simmer bacon in saucepan of boiling water for about 10 minutes, drain, rinse in cold water, and dry. Brown the bacon in the skillet you intend to brown the beef in. Add a small amount of cooking oil and allow the bacon to form a nice, crispy brown color. Once browned, remove to the baking casserole or French oven.

Now brown the beef chunks in the hot bacon fat. If the skillet is getting dry, add a little more oil and get it hot before adding any beef. Place the beef chunks, as they finish browning, into the casserole with the bacon pieces.

Add the wine to the bacon/beef skillet, and deglaze by stirring gently until all the tasty bits come off the bottom of the skillet. The bottom of the skillet should almost feel 'clean' before moving to the next step.

Pour wine out of skillet and into the baking casserole, on top of the beef and pork. Now add the tomato paste, garlic cloves (peeled and broken up), thyme, bay leaf, and beef broth. If necessary, add more beef broth as to just cover the beef in the casserole with liquid. Mix everything and bring the stew to a simmer on top of the stove. Cover the casserole and stick it into the lower portion of your preheated oven.

For the first 20 minutes or so, open the casserole periodically and regulate the oven temperature as to keep the stew simmering. You don't want it to not bubble, but you also don't want it to boil too hard. Just a slight bubbling will do--my oven got it right at about 235 degrees. Allow the stew to simmer in the oven for about 2.5 to 3 hours, until the beef starts to break apart with a fork. Hint: a little longer, and the beef will become so tender as to fall apart.

While the beef is cooking in the oven, prepare the mushrooms and onions.

The onions need to be dropped into boiling water for a minute or so in order to loosen their skins for peeling. It's okay to discard the peeling water, but remember you will save the water used to cook the onions (later) for the stew. Remove the peel from the onions by pinching the top side of the onion in your fingers until the 'heart' of the onion pops out. Discard the peels and trim the onions for use with kitchen scissors or shears. Place the prepared and peeled onions into a medium saucepan big enough to hold all of them in a single layer. Fill the saucepan about half-full with water, add 1 Tb butter and 1/2 tsp salt. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until onions are tender. Remove onions and set aside, but preserve onion boiling water for the stew.

Slice the mushrooms and brown in a large skillet with oil and 2 Tb. butter. Season with salt and pepper as they cook. Don't crowd the mushrooms, so that they can each become nicely browned. Like the beef, you want them to have brown, almost crispy sides--they won't be as good if they're wet and limp!

After the beef has become tender in the oven, remove the casserole and uncover. With a slotted spoon, remove all of the beef and whatever bacon you can out of the casserole and set aside. There should be about 2.5 cups of juice remaining in the casserole. Prepare a paste of 3 Tb. butter and 3 Tb. flour in a separate bowl. Remove some (about 3/4 cup) of the cooking juices from the casserole and mix into the separate bowl of butter and flour paste. Blend with a wire wish until smooth, and then stir the mix back into the main casserole. Now add the onion-boiling juice to the casserole and mix everything together. Bring this mix to a simmer on the stove.

Once the juices in the casserole are simmering, add the beef and bacon back in. Also add the boiled onions and browned mushrooms into the mix. Stir everything together until distributed evenly, and allow to simmer just a few more minutes.

Serve over your choice of egg noodles, rice, or potatoes. 

Bolo Contendere: Traditional Three Meat Bolognese

My friend Heather and I visited Italy once, and we made an accidental stop in Bologna--the namesake town we have to thank for this fabulous sauce. I say 'accidental' because we got ourselves onto the wrong train out of Firenze (Florence) and took a long detour north to Bologna rather than back south to Rome (and our plane home). Nevertheless, considering a pasta like this one, I still wish we'd spent a little more time in Bologna. 

This is, by definition, a meaty sauce; it's not your typical out-of-the-jar tomato puree. In fact, it uses three meats: ground beef, ground pork, and pancetta bacon. Therefore, make it for the carnivores in your life. 

This is the initial wine level of the meat. 

This is about the level you want of wine reduction--don't let it completely dry out your meat. 

At this point, begin the long, long simmer. 

Ready to serve after 3 hours on a low flame. 

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 T diced pancetta (I asked for 4 thick slices from the deli)
1 yellow onion
1 large carrot
1 celery stalk
3 T olive oil
3 T butter
1 cup white (or red) wine
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 28 oz. can whole-peeled plum (San Marzano) tomatoes 
1 T tomato paste 
Pasta of your choice (I used pappardelle). 
Parmigiano Reggiano for topping 




As always, start with the right pot. I used an enameled cast iron French oven--but without one, I would have used a good quality spaghetti pot. Dice the carrot, celery, and onion finely. Heat oil and butter in your pot and add the diced veggies and pancetta. Cook for at least 10 minutes, allowing the veggies to soften and the pancetta to slightly brown. Now add the other two meats and crumble them down with a wooden spoon until there aren't any large chunks remaining. Continue to cook until all of the meat has cooked, but don't try to dry out or brown the meats. Add the wine to the meat and veggies mixture while the pot is still hot. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all the wine has evaporated. Season with nutmeg, then correct with salt and pepper. Stir frequently. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, and when it starts to bubble, turn down the heat and let the sauce cook at the lowest simmer, uncovered, for about 3-4 hours. The sauce will reduce drastically, eventually resembling Sloppy Joes. Serve over any kind of hot pasta. 

Chicken Tikka Masala, Indian Food Part 2

December 31st was a day of mixed feelings for me... or perhaps I should say it was a day of swirly feelings for me, because I spent most of it on the couch recovering from a late night dinner party we threw for my law firm the night before. We served fire roasted green chili chicken for dinner, starting with wine for an appetizer, wine for a side dish, and wine for dessert (at least that's how I remember it now). See Advil.

 However, the upside of spending my day on the couch was that I caught my first episode of The Next Food Network Star--which is basically American Idol for cooks.  Long story short, Food Network was playing a marathon of the show, so I spent  my entire day watching back-to-back episodes of the whole season.

The upside of spending my entire day on the couch watching Food Network (uncharacteristic of this type-A busy guy) was falling in love with the most unique and most interesting of the contestants, Aarti Sequeira, who conquered each culinary challenge by preparing meals either pulled directly from Indian culture or infused with Indian flavors. She covered everything from kebabs to exotic Indian curries and even pizza made on naan. See Naan Guilty.

The recipe I used to make this Chicken Tikka Masala is slightly adapted from the recipe that Food Network published from Aarti's new show.This was a fun meal to make, it wasn't too difficult, and it was a hit on the table with people who hadn't tried Indian food before. This recipe is easily halved or doubled, but as it stands, it will serve 6. Making some naan to go with it will be greatly appreciated by all 6.

Marinade:

• 2 cups plain yogurt - Greek would be a good idea here.
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder  
• salt and pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into large bite-size chunks
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large bite-size chunks

Sauce:

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 12 cloves garlic, minced
• 2, 2-inch thumbs of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 4 serrano pepper, minced (seeds removed if you don't want it spicy)
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 8 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 cans diced tomatoes (each can is about 14 ounces)
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Fresh cilantro leaves, minced
• Basmati Rice

For the marinade:
In large bowl, mix the yogurt, ginger, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Poke chicken with a fork, then add to marinade. Fold to cover and marinate at least 1 hour, at most refrigerated overnight.

For the sauce:
When you're ready to make the curry, place a large skillet (I use a 5.5qt enameled iron French oven) over medium heat, and add the butter and olive oil. When butter has melted, add the garlic, ginger, and diced serrano pepper. Saute until lightly browned around the edges.
Add the tomato paste and cook until the tomato has darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Add the paprika and garam masala, and saute for about 1 minute to draw out their flavours.
Add the tomatoes, salt, and water. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 20 minutes. Take the pan off the fire, and allow the sauce to cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, fire up your broiler, and cover your broiler pan in foil. Pull the chicken thigh chunks out of the marinade and place on the sheet. Place under the broiler, and cook on each side until charred and cooked through. Pour sauce into a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Pour back into the pan, and bring back up to a boil. Add the chicken. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes. Add cream and stir through.

Chicken marinating in the yogurt mix.

Just about to broil the chicken--I'm doing mine on a plain cookie sheet covered with foil.

This is what I mean by charred.



Beautiful pottery handmade by our dear friend, Jennifer Buntz.
And yes, that is bourbon in the background.



Yes, it's a lot of garlic... trust me on this one!

Wow--smell those spices cooking!



Once the curry (or soup) has boiled for 20 minutes, take it out and put it into the blender.





Serve with Basmati rice.