Sussex Stewed Steak (English-style Roast)

If I want my children to eat well, feed them roast!  If you want me to eat well, keep the recipes changing and sauces interesting!  I came across this recipe in my Elizabeth David cookbook, and knew I had to try it.  Roast.  Prep and walk away.  Serve to a happily waiting family!

Inexpensive cute of meat

Onions.  

Such a deep, rich gravy.

So tender

- 2 1/2 lb of an in expensive cut such as chuck steak, top round, or thick flank
- salt and pepper
- 1-2 tbsp flour
- an onion (or two!)
- 5-6 tbsp each of port and stout (I used Guinness and Sherry)
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Season the meat.  Rub flour on both sides.  Put it flat in a shallow baking dish in which it just fits.  Slice a large onion, put over the meat.  Pour in the liquid.  Cover with a double sheet of parchment paper and the lid of the dish.  Put it in a very low oven, at 275 degrees and leave it for about 3 hours - a little less or a little longer won't matter.

Elizabeth David claimed that the toughest meat will come out tender and the gravy will be rich, brown, and excellently flavored.  She was absolutely right!!

I have said before that Elizabeth David takes French cooking and makes it approachable.  No fuss, just cook!  And, this one was as simple as it sounds and as big of a hit as I hoped with the family!

Boeuf Bourguignonne (Beef with Red Wine, Onions, and Mushrooms)

When friends were coming over for dinner for the first time, I wanted something that might impress to cook.  It had been played up to them how much I love to cook, so I didn't want to disappoint!  French came to mind.  I read through some of an Elizabeth David cookbook that I had gotten for Christmas a year or two ago.  

First, it must be noted....I loved reading through Elizabeth David's recipes!!  It reads with an attitude of instruction, mixed with stories of where she learned all these things and a little bit of a "you should feel your way through cooking rather than follow what I say strictly."  If a cookbook can be edgy, it read like an edgier Julia Child cookbook.

Boeuf Bourguignonne was the winner!  I liked the idea of cooking it.  Julia Child's version requires cooking the beef in one pan, the onions in a separate dish, and the mushrooms in another one as well.  Then you combine it all toward the end.  The beauty of this recipe was that everything cooked in the same dish!  I felt like I could repeat this one for my family on a random day.  Definitely worth trying!

The beef cut into chunks and then marinated for 5-6 hours.  

Ah, the beauty of this recipe, one pot for the entire dish

The meat was so tender.  Fall apart wonderful.  Full of flavor.  This picture makes me want to cook it again soon!

- 2 lb beef round (or chuck, just add extra 30-45 min to the cook time) or pre-cut at the store beef stew meat
- a large onion
- thyme
- parsley
- bay leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2/3 cup red wine

- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 oz pancetta (I found this pre-diced in the deli section of the store)
- a dozen or so small whole onions
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 1/3 cups meat stock
- clove of garlic
- 1/2 lb small mushrooms

Cut the meat into slices about 2 1/2 in square and 1/4 inch thick.  Season with salt and pepper, cover with large sliced onion, herbs, olive oil and red wine.  Leave to marinate for 5-6 hours.

Put a good tablespoon of butter into a heavy stewing-pan of about 2.5 quarts capacity.  In this melt the pancetta, cut into 1/4-in-thick match-length strips.  Add the whole peeled small onions, and let them brown, turning them over frequently and keeping the heat low.  Take out the pancetta when its fat becomes transparent, and remove the onions when they are nicely colored.  Set them aside with the pancetta.

Now put into the fat the drained and dried pieces of meat and brown the quickly on each side.  Sprinkle them with the flour, shaking the pan so that the flour amalgamates with the fat and absorbs it.  Pour over the strained marinade.  Let it bubble half a minute; add the stock.  Put in a clove of garlic and a bouquet of thyme, parsley and bay leaf tied with a thread.  Cover the pan with a close-fitting lid and let it barely simmer on top of the stove for about 2 hours.

Now add the pancetta and onions, and the whole mushrooms washed but not peeled and already cooked in butter or fat for a minute or so to rid them of some of their moisture.  Cook the stew for another half hour.  Remove the bouquet and garlic before serving.  (There should be enough for 4-6 people.)

Absolutely worth adding to the hosting or family meal rotation!

Carottes Vichy (Glazed Carrots)

This wonderfully rustic, buttery, bright side dish was one I used when I wanted to impress some new dinner guests.  It was a great choice!  I decided to make boeuf bourguignonne and needed something equally rustic and wonderful to go along with it.  These carrots were delicious, easy, and beautiful!  See those bites that have the pretty caramel color, oh yum!  Caramelized carrots, yes, please!

- 1 lb of carrots, scraped and sliced into bias-cut rounds about 1/4 inch thick

- 3 tbsp butter, divided

- 1 1/2 tsp sugar

- salt

- a little (maybe a tbsp) parsley, finely chopped

Put carrots into a heavy pan with 2 tablespoons of butter, a pinch of salt, the sugar, and 1 cup of water.  (If increasing recipe, it is 1 cup of water per one pound of carrots.)  Cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes until nearly all the water has evaporated and the carrots are tender.  Add another lump of butter (about 1 tbsp) and shake the pan so the carrots do not stick.  You can also add a teaspoon of sugar with that final lump of butter, letting this cook until it has formed a thick syrup which coats the carrots.  

Add a little finely chopped parsley before serving.

(Enough for four people)

Rustic and wonderful!