Boef Poivron en Daube

Here is a French classic taught to me by my French cousin as she prepared this dish for us many years ago in their summer home in southwestern France.

A Daube is a French name for a Dutch oven and a general classification for stews made in a Dutch oven. This one is sweeter by caramelized peppers and kicked up a bit with Moroccan harissa paste.

The flavorful sauce is best mopped up with egg noodles or a good bread such as homemade oatmeal wheat bread, for example.

3.5-4 lb chuck beef, cut into 1x3-inch pieces

1/2 yellow sweet onion, diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 leek, cleaned and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp fresh rosemary and thyme

1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes

1 quart beef broth

2 Tbsp harissa paste (I used Cavo, fresh - Wholefoods)

1 red pepper cut into 1-inch pieces

1 yellow pepper cut into 1-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 375.

Brown the beef well in a dash of olive oil in a large oven-going Dutch oven. Cook the beef in at least 3 batches, to be sure there is plenty of air space in between each piece. Season with salt and pepper as you brown. Set beef aside in a bowl when browned.

Sauté the onion and carrot in a dash of olive oil in the Dutch oven. Cook until the veggies have softened and browned a bit, about 5-8 minutes.

Add the leek to the oven along with 2 tablespoons of water. Cook until the water evaporates, and then slowly let the leek sauté a bit in the oil. Adding water followed by a slow sauté is Jacque Pepin’s ingenuous approach to slightly caramelizing leeks without burning them - they are quite delicate. Add the garlic and herbs and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Now add the tomatoes, broth and harissa paste to the Dutch oven.

Bring to a gentle boil, stirring often. Return the beef to the Dutch oven and return to a gentle boil. The beef should just be peeking up through the liquids - if there is not enough liquid to cover, add a dash more water.

Cover the pot and place in the oven. Bake for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours until beef is tender throughout.

Meanwhile sauté the peppers in a skillet in a dash of olive oil. I cook over fairly high heat to slightly brown and caramelize the peppers, about 5-8 minutes. Add the peppers to the stew after the stew has cooked about 45 minutes in the oven, stirring to incorporate them well.

Cover the stew and continue cooking in the oven until done.

If desired, cook egg noodles according to package directions. Serve over egg noodles, garnished with some fresh parsley.

Serves 6-8.

Cook's Note: You do not have to cook this stew in the oven, if you only have stove-top pots. Just be sure to stir often to avoid scorching - oven cooking is so much more even that stovetop, which is a real help for slow, long cooking like this.

Comments

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs. Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have. Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade. Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 375F.

Scrambled Benedict

This is the ultimate Sunday brunch item. Don't be intimidated about making a Hollandaise sauce - it is so much easier and quicker than you may think. And it is oh, so luscious over eggs. You can poach your eggs or fry them; whatever you prefer. My favorite is poached, but others in the family like scrambled better, so I scrambled. Happy brunching. Hollandaise Sauce: 2 egg yokes, in a small bowl 1/2 cup butter, just melted in microwave 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1/4 tsp salt ~1 Tbsp lukewarm water 2 English muffins 2 remaining egg whites 3 eggs 1 Tbsp cream dash dried dill Set up a double boiler (I use a medium pot with a metal bowl on top), and bring 2 cups water to the boil. Reduce heat to low. In the yet unheated double boiler top bowl, whisk together the butter, lemon juice, mustard and salt. Warm over double boiler. Whisk the egg yokes together. Slowly whisk the yokes into the warmed butter mixture, drizzling the yokes in slowly. Whisk continuously. If the

Coconut Rice Noodles with Eggplant

Noodle bowls are always a welcome dish for a wholesome dinner meal after an outing like grooming roses with your Park friends. Or whatever you've been doing in the afternoon. This will satisfy an appetite after a good day's work, with hearty eggplant, satisfying noodles and a cozy broth of coconut and tomatoes. Garnish with basil or mint. 1/2 lb dried wide rice noodles 2 Tbsp olive oil plus 2 Tbsp salted butter 1 medium onion, sliced kernels from 1 fresh corn stalk, or 1/2 cup frozen 3/4 lb eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups) 2 cloves garlic, minced 3/4-inch fresh ginger, minced 1 tsp favorite curry powder 1 can whole coconut milk (I used Trader Joe’s) 2 cups chicken (or veggie broth) - I used home-made stock 1 dozen grape tomatoes, halved Set a medium pot of water to boil for the noodles. Simmer according to package directions until just before cooked. Meanwhile, melt the butter in the olive oil in a wide skillet. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes on

Cuisine Eric

Search This Blog