Julia Child’s Beef/Boeuf  Bourguignon

I saw Julie and Julia the first day it came out. I don’t think, I was the only person that was then intrigued to make Beef Bourguignon and see what all the fuss is about. I made this recently, on a cold snowy night. This is the perfect dish for this kind of evening. While making it I did not understand why there was all this fear in making the Beef Bourguignon. I think the fear comes from the fact that there are multiple steps and it takes a long time to cook. Also you do need a Dutch Oven to make this dish. Since it was the holiday season, I saw it as an excuse for me to finally buy one. This is something that could be made the day before and I think,  actually tastes better the next day. Also  a perfect dish to entertain with in the winter since it can be made ahead. It is very hardy.

6 oz Bacon (cut into pieces ¼ inch thick and 1½ inches long)

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

3 lbs of Lean Stewing Beef (cut into 2 inch cubes and pat dry)

1 Slice Carrot – I used 4 carrots and would suggest maybe 6

1 sliced Onion

1 Teaspoon of Salt

¼ Teaspoon of Pepper

2 Tablespoons of Flour- I used 3 to 4 tablespoons

3 Cups of Full-bodied Red Wine

2 to 3 Cups of Beef Stock

1 Tablespoon of Tomato Paste

2 gloves of Mashed Garlic

½ Teaspoon of Thyme

A Crumbled Bay Leaf

24 Small White onions

1 lb of Fresh Mushrooms

Preheat Oven 450 Degrees

Simmer bacon for 10 minutes, and then drain water and pat try. In Dutch Oven/Casserole Fireproof Dish sauté the bacon and olive oil for 3 minutes. Remove bacon and set aside. Heat oil and sauté beef until browned, do this a few pieces at a time and when browned on all sides with bacon. In the same fat brown all of the vegetables (except small white onions and mushrooms). Once vegetables are lightly browned, pour out the sautéing fat. Return the beef and bacon to Dutch oven and toss with salt, pepper, and flour and place in oven for 4 minutes. Remove from oven and toss again and return to oven for 4 minutes. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust).

Reduce Oven heat to 325

Stir in the wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, and herbs. Bring to a simmer on the stove. Then cover the dish and place in oven for 2.5 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

Boil the Small White Onions and then remove skins after cooked from onions. Cut Mushrooms into quarters and sauté.

When ready to serve distribute the onions and mushrooms over the meat.

4 Leeks (about 2 pounds sliced and cleaned VERY WELL)
1/2 Cup of sliced Shallots
3 Tablespoons of butter
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
3 Celery Stalks, chopped
5 Garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds of potatoes (Russet or Yukon gold peeled and cut into cubes)
5 Cups of Vegetable broth
1 Cup of Dry White Wine
1 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Chopped Sage
Optional
3 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled

In a large pot over medium heat add olive oil and butter followed by leeks and shallots and cook until slightly tender 5- 10 minutes. Once tender add celery, garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. (Be careful not to brown the onions too much or your soup will have muddy color. I only speak from experience!) Finally add the potatoes, wine, broth, salt, and pepper and let simmer for about 25 minutes until potatoes are soft.

Let the soup cool before placing in blender and blend soup. Heat creamed soup before serving and add chopped sage. Optional- the soup can be topped off with bacon crumbs.

Recently, I was cooking dinner for a few friends and told that it had to be as close to calorie-less as possible. They had a bet going on at work and the final weigh in was this week. So I made two summer soups gazpacho and cucumber soup. We decided this would actually be great also as a dipping sauce. I would then just add a little less broth if you decide to use it that way.

2 Peeled and Seeded Diced Cucumbers
1/3 Cup chopped scallions
1 Tablespoon of Butter
1 Cup of Vegetable Broth
1 Cup of Yogurt
1 glove of garlic chopped
¼ Cup of Fresh Dill
1 to ½ Tablespoon of Lemon Juice
½ Cup Chopped Pecans
Salt and Pepper

In a bowl place the cucumbers and 1 teaspoon of salt and let stand for thirty minutes and then drain water from the bowl.
In a saucepan lightly sauté butter and scallions with salt and pepper for two minutes.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl except pecans and refrigerate for about 4 hours. In a blender blend together all ingredients and ready to serve. Top with some fresh dill. Add salt and pepper to taste as well as lemon juice and dill if you want a little more flavor.

Now, I served this with a lime and cucumber water. Just slices of lime and cucumber and refrigerated it in the water for about 4 hours.

5 ears of Corn (corn cut off from ears)
1 Red Bell Pepper (chopped into ¼ inch cubes)
2 medium Onions (chopped into ¼ -1/2 inch cubes)
2 small Leeks (sliced thinly)
1 Cup of Chopped Celery
1 Russet Potato (Peeled and cubed in ½ inch cubes)
6 Slices of Bacon
4 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme
2 Tablespoons of Butter
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
2 Cups of Milk
3 Cups of Vegetable Stock
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a fying pan cook the bacon. Remove and pat bacon dry and chop. Remove  1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the frying pan in place it in the pot and add two tablespoons of butter. Sauté the Onions, leeks, and celery for about five minutes.  In two other separate pots cook the corn and potatoes- drain and set aside. Add Peppers to onions and sauté for about two minutes, followed by the potatoes, corn, and bacon. Pour stalk and milk with thyme and let simmer on low heat for about 20-30 minutes. I think it taste best when you let it stand for a while to let all the flavors combined with one another.

I have to admit, from my event last week this idea was my favorite. When I was buying napkins, I saw these plastic shooters and thought it would be really fun if people had shots of soup. Also it is very simple to prepare and serve a large quantity of individual shots. I think these would work best if they were passed rather than sitting on a table. This is a great way to serve something really warm in the winter. But they would also work in the summer using a chilled soup.

Soup
1/4 Cup (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
5 large carrots, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons dill seeds/ or dill weed
4 cups chicken broth

Pesto
1 cup packed coarsely chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, onion and dill seeds and saute until onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat and puree the soup in a blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Combine fresh dill, pine nuts, and olive oil in blender. Blend until well blended- mushy.
Pour a shot of soup with a dollop of pesto on top!

• Do not blow on the soup
• Do not put the entire spoon in your mouth, slip it from the side
• The spoon is filled by moving the spoon away, but in eastern culturesit is the opposite with the spoon being filled with a movement towards you.
• Bring the spoon up to your mouth, don’t have your head over the bowl.
• Tip the bowl away from you when trying to get the last couple of spoonfuls
• If it is a two handled soup bowl it is okay to pick it up and sip from the bowl or use a spoon.
• Leave the soup spoon on the soup plate when done not in the bowl.