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10 Legs in the Kitchen

~ Food. Dogs. Life!

10 Legs in the Kitchen

Monthly Archives: October 2013

I never learn (will I ever learn?)

26 Saturday Oct 2013

Posted by Stacey Bender in From the journals, the kitchen

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Steamed clams

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Isn’t it funny how you can learn so quickly not to put your hand on a hot stove after doing it once, but no matter how many times the waitress tells you that the plate is hot, you can’t help but touch it? In my case, I counterintuitively touch the plate to prove that it isn’t actually hot – to me. After working in restaurants for long enough, your hands become immune to scalding temperatures, but let’s face it, the plate is rarely as hot as they make it out to be. But then, sometimes it is….

One of my biggest deficiencies in the learning my lessons department (or should I say one of my many?) is letting too many things fall into my grocery basket. Now this isn’t actually a problem with most items since they can range from charcuterie, that will always get nibbled, to pickled figs that have a long pantry life. Other than creating dents in my bank account, which I am accustomed to ignoring, no real damage has been done. However, when I visit my favorite fish market, Gemini, I often walk away with more seafood than I can eat before it goes bad. Seafood is not something that can hang out in the ice box too long without acting up. No matter how many times going in (to Gemini) telling myself to keep my eye on the prize, I end up walking away with three fish in the basket and a few more in my bag.

I am not one to waste food and it especially makes me mad if a perfectly good trout had to give up it’s life just to be tossed away. If I find myself having bought an extra rack of lamb on impulse, along with more meat than days to eat it prior to expiration, I can always treat it to a little deep freeze and enjoy it another time. I can’t do this with seafood. Not only would it kill the clams along with the whole point of cooking them live in the first place, but would also ruin the sole purpose of buying, just in, fresh scallops rather than the readily available frozen variety.

Although I eat most anything, my eating habits are finicky. I can crave sashimi one day and feel like fried chicken the next (as you might have noted in my recent post). Luckily, Buddy and Ginger came up with a nifty solution on such occasions; they offered to eat anything that we didn’t. Of course, they trust we will not let them eat anything harmful to their health, such as grapes or onions.

Most recently I found myself with 1 1/2 lbs of clams, 4 fresh East Coast sea scallops and a beautiful chunk of Hawaiian big-eye tuna, all requiring immediate attention (I had in fact eaten the salmon I meant only to buy in the first place) . It was fairly late on a Monday night, so a five-course meal was probably not a good idea. Although not a bad one either.

I seared one scallop for each of us (Ginger and Buddy included). Lot’s of butter under Tom’s and mine but the other two left near the side of the pan to keep within the non-harmful range of the butter as promised.

The tuna was still lovely and odor-free but I didn’t trust eating it raw anymore; wrapped it up in foil and 7 minutes in the hot oven left a scent that perked Ginger and Buddy right up, noses sniffing and circling around the kitchen like a couple of sharks (we joke that’s what they should be for Halloween). They knew the smell meant the tuna was for them. Tom and I ate the clams all by ourselves, right down to the last bit of sauce; sopped up with the last crust of our bread.

STEAMED CLAMS WITH BACON, POTATOES AND JALAPEÑO

This is quite the best time of year for clams and this batch was particularly perfect. I love it when they are little but plump, just as I prefer my oysters; clean, powerful flavor without all the extra gunk (you know, that stringy unpleasant stuff)!

A crusty baguette and fresh greens tossed in a simple vinaigrette of chopped shallots, Grenache vinegar and good quality olive oil rounds out the meal.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lbs steamer clams

1 medium-large gold potato, 1/4″ diced, cooked in salted water until just tender, drained

2 slices, thick-cut bacon cut into 1/4″ slices
1 small jalapeño, stems and seeds removed, chopped
1 or 2 tomatoes (dependent on your affinity for tomatoes), stems removed, diced
1 small, sweet onion, chopped (you might end up with 1/2 cup or more)
1tsp smoked paprika (for a smokey flavor)
The juice of a medium lemon
1 cup white wine (plus more for your glass)

Approximately 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
Butter, as much as you dare, or none if you don’t! (I dare a few knobs (+/- 2TB))

2 deep pasta bowls in the warming drawer and an extra bowl for shells.

PREP

COOK THE POTATOES as described above and GATHER the rest of your ingredients.

If you have purchased your clams a day or two in advance (oops) it is best to store them on a sheet pan in a single layer, uncovered in the fridge so that they may breathe rather than suffocate shamelessly in a plastic bag. RINSE THE CLAMS AND SOAK THEM in cold water, fortified with a tablespoon or so of cornmeal (this helps them to shed their debris). You can do this several hours beforehand and leave in the fridge until ready to cook.

COOK

In a large sauté pan, PLACE the CUT BACON into the pan and TURN TO MEDIUM HEAT. When cooked through and beginning to crisp, ADD jalapeño, tomato, onion and smoked paprika. After a minute or so, ADD the clams.

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Meanwhile and simultaneously, BROWN the potatoes in butter over medium-high heat. They are soft already so the high heat coupled with butter will act quickly to turn them from pale to a light shade of brown. When the potatoes form a slight bit of crust without burning, TOSS THEM IN WITH the clams and shake the pan to combine. In a minute or two SQUEEZE in the lemon, then pour in the wine (but not from your glass). The pan will want to recuperate from these additions to regain it’s heat; once bubbling, COVER THE PAN and let it SIMMER for 5-7 minutes or until the clams open their shell.

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As the clams open, REMOVE THEM with tongs to their serving bowls. TURN UP THE HEAT on the remaining sauce and ADD THE HERBS, along with an optional knob (yes, that is a technical kitchen term) of butter. After a minute or two, the sauce will thicken slightly. LADLE the sauce over the clams, warming them and leaving a pool of liquid to sop up with the crusty bread.

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This whole effort goes by very quickly and will reward you with what seems like a laborious feast without all the labor.

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Last one to the party (misses out on Joe’s sauerbraten!)

22 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by Stacey Bender in family gatherings

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Cheese sauce, family, Oktoberfest, Pretzels

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Damn, turns out that was us! I got a text from our niece Catherine saying they were having a party and would we like to come? A little prodding and I was able to determine that the party was for Oktoberfest, it began at 5pm and no costumes were required. I only asked about the dress attire because my sister-in-law is part-German and a young Catherine had previously shown up for no less than three Christmas dinners wearing her genuine dirndl given to her by her grandparents. A little further prodding revealed that there might actually be dirndl and lederhosen afoot, but neighbor/friend Joe G. would indeed be manning the grill. Not sure where to start with that story other than to say, Joe cooks, we’re there (boat dependent). Plus, Grandma Doris bakes a mean tart (amongst other things) and we hadn’t seen everyone since her birthday in April. Seeing that the message reached us at 2pm that afternoon and required catching a ferry… We procrastinated a little, then a little more because that’s how we (not quite) roll! Late as usual, we quickly packed up the pups and ourselves without the usual fuss. Fussing that always lands us in the back of the line at the ferry terminal; or the front after missing our boat. We are notorious for missing the boat, in more ways than one. We weren’t sure what to expect but were excited to see our family and friends!

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(No, it wasn’t vacant when we got there, this was prior to the big fest, courtesy of my niece.)

My niece had the start time wrong though; turns out the party actually began at 4 o’clock, which rendered our 6:15pm arrival – officially late for dinner. Sauerbraten may have been gone but there was no going hungry that night! Joe had made an enormous amount of home-made sauerkraut with the perfect balance of savory to sweet; unstoppable next to his grilled wurst. Doris had not made her German potato salad that is always just right, but made a just-right onion tart instead. Being a particularly avid fan of her apple tart, Tom was quite pleased with the state of affairs regarding the dessert table, but (different subject) not before polishing off 2, maybe 3 of the soft pretzels that he was not shy about rolling extras of into his wadded napkin to enjoy the next day. So, although we didn’t anticipate an outdoor party since you’ve been able to cut the fog with a knife lately, and should have used some more fuss time layering up, there was good company, good food, a keg of (obviously cold) beer (although maybe not as cold as our toes), an outstanding live Oom-pah band, and a good time on a crisp evening in October.

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Tom did get to enjoy his soft pretzel the next day, wadded napkin removed. I even treated it to a hot sauna and a dip in his favorite cheese sauce that I developed the last time he requested cheese whiz (with the usual reference to the Blues Brothers). Looking forward to next year (with more wool)!

SOFT PRETZELS WITH CHEESE SAUCE

My sister-in-law, Christine, bought a case of soft pretzels from Town and Country Market on Bainbridge. If you live in the greater Seattle area, Essential Bakery makes a very good one (you can pick up their baked goods at many places around town, I suspect that’s where the T&C ones were from). But I especially like the ones at Tall Grass Bakery in Ballard, I stop in there when the 8 legs get their fuzz cut nearby (more on that later, because we don’t live anywhere near).

HEAT THE PRETZELS:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the soft pretzels on a baking tin and BRUSH with warm WATER.
SPRINKLE with SEA SALT and place in oven for about 5 minutes.

FOR THE CHEESE SAUCE:

I like to use individual ramekins for this because it is usually just a quick snack and this makes it easy to keep to a single size. You could use the same logic in larger quantities using a saucepan over the stove. A double boiler would work really well to keep the cheese from solidifying.

Using a good-quality cheddar, crumble or shred the cheese into the ramekins filling no more than 1/2 way. Put a dollop of Dijon mustard in (TB size dollop if you want a stronger mustard flavor and on down to a 1/2 tsp if you prefer it less tangy). Dribble in a little white wine or, better yet, white vermouth (there isn’t a lot of room left so that determines how big your dribble can be).

Now you have a few choices, either put it in the oven to melt, same time as the pretzels, or put in the microwave for approximately 20 seconds. Stir or whisk (if you have a tiny whisk) until creamy. You can add a little bit of water or wine, drops at a time, to help with the consistency, and put back to the oven or microwave to be sure it is nice and toasty when you dip in your pretzel.

Now if you have a beer, crack it open; it helps to wash this down. If not, pop open some ginger ale and break into the game closet. Prost!

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Thoughts of Dad

19 Saturday Oct 2013

Posted by Stacey Bender in the kitchen

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

cabbage, carrots, Pork chops

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Recently I made a fine pork chop. I ruled them out lately in favor of my current run on slow cooked tenderloin, to which I will admit, I have become quite addicted. I have made my share of dried-out pork chops for sure, but even when they are treated to a little spa time in a fancy brine and cooked just right, the pork chop just isn’t my favorite cut of meat, truth be told. I am sometimes intrigued when I see it listed on a menu with a luring description but with so many other things to try, when it comes time to pull the trigger, I end up with several types of fish, another small plate or two, and I rarely pass on the duck. If I am dining with my father, it is a pretty good bet that the pork chop will end up on his list, thick cut, double big or whichever way it is presented. This after eating a very large bowl of mussels, himself of course (I mustn’t even think of reaching into the bowl to fish one out for myself as I might be inclined to do). He takes his mussels seriously, but as far back as I can remember, my father loves pork!

Every time I make pork, I think of Dad. I am not really sure why this is, because more importantly, he loves chicken fried steak and banana cream pie! Once we stopped in for a sweet snack to replenish during an afternoon of shopping. Dad ordered banana cream pie as I knew he would. When the waitress informed him that they were out, he bit his lower lip and let out a groan of disappointment as if he had been anticipating it all day. He then lifted his head, looked up at the waitress and without skipping a beat said, “Okay, I’ll take the chicken fried steak instead”.

PORK CHOPS, BRAISED CABBAGE and CARROTS – serves 2, but can be easily doubled.

This meal is a good one to do during the week when time and energy are limited because it goes together easily. It is also equally suited for company because in addition to the aforementioned, it has the added bonus of being elegantly delicious too!

INGREDIENTS

For the pork:

2 thick cut pork chops – rinsed and wiped dry
3 TB soy sauce (low sodium is ok)
2 TB fresh orange juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
(Above measurements are approximate – erring on the side of more or less won’t hurt. I don’t measure it out, rather I pour from the bottle, judging with my eyeballs and instinct)
1 sprig fresh tarragon
Olive oil for sautéing

Optional – 5 to 7 baby fingerling potatoes per person, par-boiled (put in saucepan covered with water and salt – bring just to a boil and drain)
Olive oil

For the cabbage:

Olive oil for sautéing
1 medium-sized cipollini onion – peeled and sliced, slices cut in half
2 cups (approx) sliced red cabbage, core removed
1 or 2 large carrots – shaved using a peeler (you will have about 1 cup of carrot ribbons)
1 TB (approx) apple cider vinegar
1 tsp (approx) sugar
1/2 tsp (approx) salt
2 TB chopped tarragon

PREP

In a shallow bowl, COMBINE the soy sauce, juice and 1 tsp of the vinegar. ADD the chops and turn coating both sides. COVER BOWL and let sit at room temp while you prepare the cabbage.

GATHER the rest of the ingredients listed above.

TURN THE OVEN to 400 degrees, TOSS the potatoes in a wee bit of oil and ROAST for 5-7 minutes. They will be finished in the pan with the cabbage.

COOK

HEAT a sauté pan and ADD olive oil, just enough to coat the pan, 1 TB or so. When it is hot enough to move freely when tilting the pan, ADD the onion, cabbage and carrots. STIR a few minutes to soften the vegetables then ADD the vinegar, sprinkle with sugar,salt and tarragon, STIR to combine.

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Will the real fried chicken please step forward?

13 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by Stacey Bender in Eating Out

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

Champagne, food, Fried chicken, Lucky Wishbone, Waffles

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Whew….. I do love fried chicken!!!! Probably a lesser known fact about me, or so I thought. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the office on my birthday (back in August) and found a large poster plastered over the window by my desk sporting a famous swimmer with my face photoshopped onto their face – I know, but wait, it gets better; this poster had a series of this crazy image spanning a length of 6 feet. Not crazy enough? Okay, so pasted on top of the poster, in between each series of my face, as if in the foreground, kind of dancing on the water, was an enormous image of a fried chicken leg. Now I’m a thigh girl myself but, this leg looked pretty tasty too.

Hysterical as it was, I found myself a little mystified that my co-workers found this to be a prevalent part of who I am. Ironically though, that night Tom and I had planned dinner out at Bastille in Ballard, solely based on a craving we both had for their chicken. Now, I didn’t really consider it to be fried nor does it present itself that way on the menu. One bite in however, revealed to me that I was indeed eating fried chicken. No, it did not sport a chunky coat of fried deliciousness; it was more of a crackly but sophisticated number. It had been basted in honey and roasted to perfection! The skin crisply protected the inner meat to reveal itself in succulence bite after bite, the moistness coupled with juicy, the crackly and crunchy. The flavor! Just like good fried chicken should taste – even if they do say it is roasted!

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Back home that same evening, I opened up my gifts; Tom tends to spoil me a bit. In addition to a necklace designed by a surfer meant to stay on while swimming, Irony strikes again when I opened up Lisa Dupar’s book titled “fried chicken & champagne“! I couldn’t help but smile and laugh out loud. What was the universe telling me? Perhaps on the day of my birth, the universe was trying to remind me of my roots. I grew up with the real thing, fried chicken so good that I still anticipate my visits home to Alaska knowing that I will be greeted at the airport by my Mom, her boyfriend John or my brother Mark, carrying with them a satchel of Grandpa’s fried chicken. That unmistakable smell lures me into the car biting into piece after piece until I have shamefully devoured the whole thing. John always remembers to bring me gizzards which are truly one of my guiltiest pleasures. They are boiled for hours and fried to perfection; I dip them into homemade Roquefort dressing, pop them into my mouth one after the other. When I return home on the plane and when family comes to visit me in Seattle, there is usually a pack of freshly fried chicken in the overhead compartment of the plane, leaving the other passengers either really annoyed, really jealous or both.

Grandpa owns The Lucky Wishbone, a restaurant, an Alaskan institution. They opened their doors 58 years ago come November serving air fresh, hand dipped, pan-fried chicken, old fashion burgers and hand-stirred milkshakes. Grandpa is 91 and can still be found bussing tables and commanding orders; but mostly you will find him perched at the counter chatting it up with his long-time customers/friends talking about fishing, flying, women and golf. There is a sign posted over the counter that reads, “Golf and aviation seminars held daily”.

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(Grandpa on far left)

Growing up, we sometimes went to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for dinner on Sunday when the restaurant was closed. Grandma would make fried chicken that confused me; it was not crunchy at all like it was at the restaurant but it was something I looked forward to none the less. I have had many versions of fried chicken through out the years, some particularly good ones at family meal while working at Etta’s years ago, and some not so good, during weak moments fished out of the market deli case. I have had “fancy fried chicken” ordered off poetic menus at hip eating spots (even sans-bone presented on a stick) and not so fancy from roadside bars or drive up windows. Fried chicken is not something I cook traditionally at home; way too much work and splattered mess to do it right. I do however love frying boneless, skinless, chicken breasts.

I cut them into long strips and slather them in buttermilk with lemon juice and let them sit that way for at least two hours or overnight. I then mix a few handfuls of flour with fresh ground pepper, salt, cayenne and smoke paprika until the seasoning tastes just right. I remove the chicken from it’s bath and dredge it thoroughly through the mixture of seasoned flour. In my cast iron skillet, I heat some oil, (peanut, canola or olive depending on what I have), until it is very hot. As the chicken hits the oil, it sizzles and spits and a delicious odor rises from the pan. After a few minutes it is ready to be turned and then a few minutes more, once the crispness has encased it, I remove it to a towel to drain while I plate whatever it is that I have decided to serve alongside or beneath. Sometimes a simple salad dressed with fish sauce mixed with lime juice, chilies and sugar.

When I think about real fried chicken, I always think Lucky Wishbone! This morning however, it was fried chicken and champagne. Ever since my birthday, I have been craving it with waffles as shown in Lisa Dupar’s book. So we finally went to her restaurant, Pomegranate Bistro, for brunch to get fried chicken and waffles with a glass of champagne. The restaurant felt very homey and inviting, like a dressed up modern day version of what the Wishbone could be. Our waiter was friendly and familiar like a young version of my brother, Mark. We each ordered a mimosa with the juice held to the side. When the drinks were brought to our table, my “young brother” commented that he had never seen them deconstructed before. How else was I going to have fried chicken and champagne?

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Brunch was served and the waffle was light and fluffy, pairing well with the thick coat of the chicken. Dipped in maple syrup, it reminded me that I like to dip my fried chicken in honey like my Grandma taught me to do. She always had a cup of coffee with a dollop of vanilla ice cream to make it sweet. If she were dining with me now, I bet she would also enjoy her chicken with champagne.

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In loving memory of Grandma (aka Peggy)
December 26, 1923 – April 17, 2011

Fresh, Mulled Apple Cider

07 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by Stacey Bender in the kitchen

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Apple Cider, Fall

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I received a request for fresh apple cider last week which happened to be on a particularly nasty Fall day. As the rain kept falling and the wind produced that just so uncomfortable chill, I began to look forward to the weekend, filling our house with the fragrant and comforting smell that I imagined such an endeavor would produce (as Ruth Reichl says, “comfort me with apples”).

The aforementioned request did not escape me this weekend, but the weekend turned out differently than I planned. Sunday evening, I found myself with not quite the respectful amount of apples that I probably should have had. Then again, a little goes a long way, so I decide to make due with the two apples and a pear that were hanging about in my fruit bowl. Some additional foraging in the pantry turned up a slew of goodies but I was remiss in tracking down my vanilla beans; perhaps they are in the same location as my missing sock from the dryer. Sans vanilla it was.

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Now admittedly, I have never made mulled cider before but certainly had made mulled wine. Also, the rain had stopped and was replaced with a crisp, sunny weekend instead. I decided to take this opportunity to do my mulling outside. Off I went plopping my foraged goodies into a pot of water and setting it on the side burner of my outdoor grill. We were still rewarded with a smell so comforting and mixed with the invigorating freshness of the outdoor air, that I was prompted to build a fire in the fire pit, and extend past the hour required for simmering the cider and then try it in a gin and tonic as well.

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After having just made this cider, I’m confident in saying, perfect measurements, precise timing and exact ingredients are not required. This one is an, “All skate” (bonus points for those of you that get that)! Take what you have and put it in a pot. Bring to boil. Simmer until aromatic. Strain. That’s it. Be creative if you are, better yet, if you don’t think you are! Just to give you an idea though, and for those that prefer a recipe, here is what I did this time; it will likely be different the next (that’s just me). I might even have located my vanilla beans by then – who knows and stay-tuned…. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

2 apples – (Gala is what I had at the time, Tom’s fave) – cut in half
1 pear – (mine was a Bosc) – cut in half
1/2 a lemon – squeezed and added to the pot
1 cinnamon stick
3 chunks of candied ginger – (would have also used fresh ginger but was out, how bad am I?)
A scattering (that’s a technical term as you know) of dried lemongrass
1 TB whole coriander
1 TB whole allspice
1 fresh Kafir lime – cut in half, squeezed and plunked (yes, another technical term) in the pot (I know… but I happen to have one, so why not?)
2 TB beet powder – (beet powder is sweet, so I don’t use sugar)

A last minute addition was oregano and mint from my garden – just a bit.

PUT THE INGREDIENTS into a saucepan, FILL it with water. SIMMER over medium-low heat for an hour or so. The hour could easily be more and might even be less. The important thing here is to have the flavor concentration that you desire.

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STRAIN in a chinois, pressing on the solid to squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can. If you don’t have a chinois, a regular strainer will do but do try to get all the liquid pressed through; don’t want to leave the good stuff behind!

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Resurrecting the Past

05 Saturday Oct 2013

Posted by Stacey Bender in From the journals, the kitchen

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

beef, food, leeks, Potatoes, Stew, veal

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I remember when I was a young child, thinking that my parents were so old and wise. Now I am older than they were when I was that child and I realize that I am still young, wiser than I used to be but with so much more to learn and much left to explore.

I remember then, riding my bike to the Quik Stop and spending all my loot on comic books, candy necklaces and other sugary things. I loved to read about Betty, Veronica, Archie, Jughead and Richie Rich, and on Saturday mornings I always watched Scooby Doo.

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Life is so fast that sometimes I wake up wondering when I went from being that little kid to who I am now? When I pick up one of my journals to read about what I had been doing at the same time last season, I am often surprised to find myself reading about seasons from years previous that feel as familiar as if they were occurring today. Sometimes however, I am reminded of things I had long past forgotten. I like to read about what I was doing, thinking and cooking then because I am often so busy now that I forget to slow down, savor the moments and always find time to cook. Cooking brings me back to center. I sometimes forget that, especially after a particularly long, hectic day but when I remember, the day never seems quite so long.

Last Friday night I was the last one to leave the office and the week had already been particularly long. For us, Friday night is usually steak night but we did not have steak. So instead, I decided to make beef stew. Now, I thought to myself, how is this easier than driving to the store to get steak? I ignored this thought and decided to pull out the pressure cooker to speed up the process. I am so glad I did because in a short while the house filled with an aroma so delicately proclaiming it to be fall and so assuredly reminding me to cook!

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I opened one of my journals this morning (volume #2) and flipped the pages to find fall of 2002. One of the inserts was a recipe for veal, leek and potato stew. I remember it well. Simple and satisfying, I made this on a weeknight not ever having made stew before or even knowing how it should be done. It became one of my husband’s favorites but in looking at it now, I realize my process was far too complicated to follow even though it hadn’t seemed at all complicated that first time that I made it. The stew I made last Friday combines simplicity with flavor and although I used a pressure cooker to shorten the time, I would recommend letting it “stew” instead, especially if you find yourself hanging at home on a blustery afternoon. Veal most certainly is less assertive in flavor and softer on the palette which I find to be more complimentary to the herbs and if using the veal, use white wine versus red (for beef). The pressure cooker retains the moisture so if you like it to be thick, reduce the amount of liquid by about half of a cup. It will thicken overnight however so either way you can’t go wrong.

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VEAL OR BEEF, POTATO & LEEK STEW

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lb good quality beef top sirloin or veal leg, cut into 1/2″ dice
Flour for dredging
Sea salt/ fresh pepper for seasoning
Olive oil for browning
Vermouth or Madeira for deglazing (vermouth for veal, Madeira for beef)

Olive oil for sautéing
2 celery stalks, diced
A handful of mushrooms (crimini, shiitake or portobello), chopped- optional
1 large leek, cleaned and sliced
1/2 cup chopped carrots

2-3 cloves chopped garlic
2-3 Fresh tomatoes, cored and diced

1 cup wine ( white for veal, red for beef- only a suggestion, not a rule)
2 cups beef broth or water (if using water, add a big spoonful of Demi-glacé (you can add more liquid if it becomes to thick).
2- 3 TB chopped fresh tarragon (if using veal it is nice to mix in some dill- don’t worry too much about measuringo this; more or less won’t hurt).

4 medium sized potatoes (I use gold potatoes most of the time for this) cleaned, skin on, cut into bite size chunks

1 cup carrots cut into bite size pieces. (Buddy and ginger like this part and usually test them to make sure they are fresh)

Whole small garden carrots or large sweet carrots cut in long pieces for garnish – optional (add these to the pot with the bite size carrots and remove with tongs when they are done- set aside for garnish- again, this is optional

1-2 TB Lemon juice if using veal, Grenache vinegar or red wine vinegar if using beef- again, suggestion, not rule

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PREP

SEASON meat with salt & pepper (approx 1 tsp salt and enough pepper to be noticeable on the meat). Then DREDGE meat in flour shaking off excess. If time permits, let the meat rest on the counter for an hour before or after this process so that it comes to room temperature.

GATHER the vegetables you have already prepped from the list above
To have at the ready when you begin to cook.

COOK

HEAT a sauté pan and put in 1 to 2 TB olive oil (I don’t usually measure this but instead pour it in until I see that it will nicely coat the pan. When it is hot enough to move freely around the pan when tilted, ADD the meat to the pan. Ideally the meat will be room temperature so as to brown rather than steam. Let it sit in the pan, uninterrupted until browned on one side. Then with tongs or a spatula, carefully turn and repeat until it is browned on all sides. DEGLAZE the pan with a wine glass pour of vermouth or Madeira and scrape up the good bits left stuck to the bottom of the pan. TRANSFER the contents to a pot (that the stew will be cooked in) or to a pressure cooker, if using, and wipe the pan clean.

In the same sauté pan, REPEAT THE PROCESS with the oil and ADD the celery, mushrooms, leeks and chopped carrot. SAUTÉ over medium low heat stirring frequently until they begin to soften. For me this usually occurs after 10 minutes.

ADD the garlic and tomatoes. STIR and let cook for a minute then POUR in the wine and let it reduce for about 10 minutes over medium low heat. TRANSFER this to the pot or pressure cooker.

ADD the broth and the tarragon. Now there are choices. Either TURN THE HEAT DOWN and PUT THE LID ON so the goods SIMMER for the next hour, with periodic oversight and stirring. Or, POP THE POT INTO THE OVEN, preheated to 350 degrees (lid on as well) and let cook, peeking in once and again. Either way, it will be wise of you to use your judgement as to what level of liquid should be left. I like my stew thick so I only add more if it feels like all will evaporate leaving burnt pieces stuck to the pan. The stew will mostly begin to thicken when we add the potatoes, so hold off too much judgement until then.

IF YOU ARE USING PRESSURE COOKER, turn it to high heat and set timer for 10 minutes.

After an hour or so, ADD the potatoes to the pot. Continue to cook until the meat is tender and the potatoes are cooked through. For me this is usually another 45 minutes or so.

IF YOU ARE USING PRESSURE COOKER, add the potatoes and set timer for 5 minutes more, high heat again. After which you will add the bite sized carrots and let them soften by keeping it at a simmer. The rest of the instruction translates the same as below.

ADD the bite size carrots and let them cook another 15 minutes. At this point, it is wise to make an assessment of consistency, flavor and tenderness. I like to mash around some of the potatoes so that it adds texture to the consistency. I am fine with the carrot bite being quite soft so I usually let it ride for a while if I have no urgency to eat. The longer it cooks, the more flavorful it is, hence the name “stew”. The addition of a little milk doesn’t hurt for thickening and by all means adjust the level, of salt, up or down. If too salty, add water and let it cook down. The addition of a little lemon squeeze or vinegar will help round things out nicely – this one is personal so feel free to experiment.

I like to dish this up in white pasta bowls with some nice crusty bread. If you garnish it with the whole carrots as mentioned above in the ingredients list, you will transform what might otherwise look like a brown glop into a more elegant presentation.

Leftovers are the best – I didn’t take a photo of our dinner but below is Tom’s lunch during the week. He is fine with the brown glop – it’s the taste that matters?!

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This week was busier than last so feeling good at the dinner table is important in refueling for the next busy day. Tom was particularly happy with our meals this week and I got many accolades from the pups. I have not had time to write about those meals but one of the highlights was roast chicken. I will have to talk to you about this sometime because I have gotten pretty good at turning out a tasty bird; which had not always been the case.

Fall is in the air so stay tuned for more comfort food… I did get a request for apple cider so I might try to squeeze that one in soon – yes, pun intended.

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