Boeuf Bourgignon (Beef Burgundy)

I don't know why it has taken me so long to write about this, as it is my favorite dish. The first time I ate it was in a restaurant in Paris. That was the moment I fell in love with French food. It was also an important moment in my life as a cook. It made me want to cook, and planted the seed of the idea to cook for a living.

Boeuf Bourgignon is basically stewing beef, braised in red wine (traditionally red Burgundy, hence the name), with bacon, pearl onions and mushrooms. Especially when it is cold outside, it doesn't get much better than that.

Start with your beef. This can be any of the cheaper beef cuts typically used for stews. I usually use chuck or round. You will need 1 lb of stewing beef. Cut it into large (about 1 inch) chunks, dry by blotting with paper towels, and season generously with salt and pepper.

Next, render 1 slice of bacon, diced in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan or small stockpot (it must not be non-stick, it must have a lid, and it must be large enough to accommodate the entire stew). This means cooking it on medium-low heat until it gives up its fat. Let it get a little crispy but not burned. Remove the bacon and set aside in a bowl, leaving the fat in the pan. Add a splash of vegetable oil and turn up the heat. Next, add, in small batches (you must not overcrowd the pan, as it the meat will not sear) your beef chunks. Once the chunks are nicely browned on one side, flip them over and brown the second side. Be careful not to allow the oil to get too hot, as it can smoke and burn the meat. Remove the beef and set aside with the bacon. At this point, there should be brown stuff stuck to the bottom of your pan. This is flavor. Do not get rid of it!

Turn the heat down a little and add a splash more oil to your pan. Add about 12 oz mirepoix. Mirepoix is a mix of diced carrot (about 3 oz), celery (about 3 oz) and onion (about 6 oz). Add also 1 clove garlic, minced. Season with salt and pepper and saute until the onions start to soften (about 10 minutes). Add 2 tbsp flour, stirring for about 1 minute, then 1 tbsp tomato paste, stirring for another minute. Now add 1 cup red wine and 1 cup beef broth, along with 1 bay leaf and a little salt and pepper. Return the beef and bacon to the pan and bring up to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the goodness on the bottom of the pan. Put the lid on the pan. Simmer gently for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the beef is fork tender.

While the stew is cooking, peel 8 oz pearl (boiling) onions, halving them if large. Place in a flat pan (a small frying or omelet pan would work) with about 1 tbsp butter, a big pinch of sugar and a small pinch of salt. Cover with water and cook on medium heat until the water is all gone - be careful not to let them burn. Transfer to the stew once done, and allow them to cook in it.

Clean 10 oz button mushrooms (remove any dirt) and cut in half, leaving stems attached. Saute in a little butter with salt and pepper, until all of their liquid is gone. Add to the stew and allow them to cook in it.

Once your beef is cooked tender, check the seasoning of your stew and adjust as necessary. Remove the bay leaf before serving (as you can see from the picture, I forgot). Serve with potatoes (mashed, boiled, however you like) and/or crusty bread to mop up the sauce, and a glass of red. Enjoy! Serves about 4 people.

Note 1 - You can use all red wine (i.e. 2 cups) if you do not want to use beef broth. I am still undecided about which way is better.

Note 2 - Stewing beef can often be found pre-chunked in wrapped packs at the supermarket. This is fine, and saves you a step.

Note 3 - Provided your pan is oven-proof, you can cook the stew in the oven instead of on the stovetop. Bring it to a simmer on the stove and then transfer it to a 300 F oven (with lid on). Cook until the beef is tender.

Note 4 - You can use pretty much any kind of red wine for this stew. I almost always use something cheap - I am not of the belief that an expensive, well-balanced wine will taste any better than something very cheap. You are cooking most of the alcohol out and infusing a lot of other great flavors into it. Any balance will be completely changed. Not to say that a great wine wouldn't taste good in the stew - I just don't see the point in the expense. Probably a smart thing to do is buy a lower-priced red that you enjoy drinking. If you use 1 cup in the stew, that will leave you about 2 cups to drink with it.

Note 5 - Metric Info: 1 lb = 450g; 12 oz = 340g; 3oz = 85g; 6oz = 170g; 1 cup = 240 ml; 8 oz = 225g; 10 oz = 280g; 300 F = 150 C.

Baked Beans (Boston-style)

Baked beans were a staple for me, growing up in England. They were not quite like these ones, which are more popular here in the U.S. The beans that I used to eat were simpler, with sugar, salt and a tomato-based sauce. No bacon or molasses. These ones are, however, very good. The recipe is adapted from 'The River Cottage Meat Book' by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Start with 1 cup of dried navy beans. I would not recommend using canned beans - they would turn to mush. You could use a different kind of bean, I suppose, but the navy bean is more authentic. Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water, in the fridge.

The next day, drain and rinse the beans. Place in an oven-proof pan or casserole (with lid) with enough water to cover by almost an inch. Bring to a boil, add a little salt, then reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are tender but not mushy (this will probably take at least an hour). Remove them from the heat. Stir in 5 oz bacon, diced, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1.5 tbsp molasses and 1 tsp mustard. Quarter 2 smallish onions, and press 4 cloves into them. Add to the beans, season with a little pepper (no salt yet, as the bacon is salty), and add some hot water if necessary to cover the beans.

Put the lid on the pan and return to a simmer, then transfer into a 275 F oven. Bake for 3 hours, then remove the lid and bake for another hour. Adjust seasoning (taste, and add salt now if necessary) and serve or cool and store in your fridge for up to a week. Enjoy!

Note 1 - Enjoy the English way, on toast, or the American way, as a side with barbecued food.

Note 2 - Metric Info: 1 cup = 240 ml; 5 oz = 140 g; 275 F = 135 C.

Black Bean Soup

Another bean soup! Yes, that's right, I love beans. And just in time for the warm weather (it wasn't that warm when I made it though)... Note that, if strained, this does not make a very large batch - about 2 servings.

Start by soaking 1 cup of black beans overnight. The next day, drain and combine with 2 cups beef broth (a different stock or broth would be OK, but I had beef broth in the fridge and it gave the soup a nice meaty flavor), a bay leaf and some thyme. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook until the beans are soft, adding water when the liquid gets too low. Remove the bay leaf, and any thyme floating on top of the liquid. Warning - the cooking process takes a while. It varies depending on the age of your beans but it probably took me over 3 hours. You could use canned beans (3 cups) instead, and add up to 2 cups beef broth in place of the soaking liquid.

Saute 4 oz diced bacon until just crispy. Remove from pan and set aside but do not discard fat. To the fat in the pan, add 1/2 onion, diced and 1 clove garlic, chopped and sweat gently until soft. Add 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Increase the heat and add 1/2 cup sherry. Boil until almost dry, then add the bacon, the beans and their cooking liquid, plus 1 dried chipotle pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the pepper and carefully blend the soup using a stick blender or standard blender (in which case, do small batches and be very careful to avoid explosions of hot liquid - allow to cool a little and start at a low speed). Return to pan. Add 1/4 cup cream plus enough water to reach your desired consistency (this is personal - you decide how thick or thin you like it). Bring back to a simmer for a few minutes. Check seasoning and adjust as needed. At this point, you can serve it as is (it will probably be pretty thick, or you can strain it first, which will result in a smoother soup, but less of it. We prefer the strained version, but it's up to you!

Serve, garnished with sour cream and cilantro (coriander leaf). Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from one of the same name in James Peterson's 'Splendid Soups' - a great book if you like to make soup like me...

Note 1 - This soup has a little kick to it. Not a lot, but a little. If you prefer no spice, you can omit the red pepper flakes and chipotle pepper. If you like more, you could use a canned chipotle and blend it into the soup.

Note 2 - The thyme is not essential, but the bay leaf should not be omitted.

Note 3 - Metric Info: 1 cup = 240 ml; 2 cups = 500 ml; 4 oz = 110g; 1/2 cup = 120 ml; 1/4 cup = 60 ml.