I’m finishing this diary on Thursday morning, in my little mountaintop cabin in the woods. As I look out the window, I can see the last of last night’s snow melting, and I’m wearing two pairs of socks because the heater just isn’t keeping the cold out as much as I’d like.
In other words, it’s perfect weather for a couple of my favorite oven-braised dishes!
First up is beef with Guinness.
BRAISED BEEF WITH GUINNESS
2 T olive oil
3 1/4 pounds stewing beef, cut into large cubes
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into fingers
6 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole (cut off that bottom bit, though)
2 T flour
1 T tomato paste
700 ml/24 oz Guinness
1 bouquet garni composed of 2 each sprigs of thyme, parsley and rosemary,
tied together with 3 strips of orange peel OR 1/2 to 1 tsp of each herb (or different herbs if you prefer)
salt and black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed flame-to-oven casserole dish which has a lid.
Sear the meat on all sides in the heated oil, a few pieces at a time. As each piece browns, scoop it out into a bowl, continuing until all the meat has browned. Add the carrots, onions and garlic to the drippings in the casserole dish. Cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to color. Sprinkle with flour and then stir in the tomato paste. Return the beef and any accumulated juices to the casserole. Add the Guinness slowly, stirring constantly, until the liquid bubbles and thickens. Add the herbs, burying or stirring. Cover with a sheet of greaseproof paper and then the lid. Place in the oven to braise for 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is very tender. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Serve the meat and gravy spooned out onto heated plates with baby peas and mashed potato as desired.
NOTES: I usually cut the amount of beef in about half, BUT without changing the amounts on the other ingredients. I also prefer just adding dried herbs, as opposed to a bouquet garni—it’s cheaper and easier. I don’t have the type of casserole dish the recipe calls for; I use a cast-iron pan, then use the glass/metal lid from another pan, which fits over it, although not tightly. Finally, you know what goes great with a dinner of braised beef with Guinness? Guinness! Two bottles for the beef, one for the chef, and if you bought a six-pack, three bottles left over for the next time you make it! Biscuits or bread of some kind goes well with this. (I just made this a couple weeks ago, and writing about it makes me want to make it again!)
Next up is pork with mustard and capers.
BRAISED PORK WITH MUSTARD AND CAPERS
2.5-3 pounds pork shoulder
1 c onion, chopped
1 c leeks, sliced
3-4 carrots, sectioned
1/3 bottle dry red wine (250 ml/9 oz)
1 T rosemary, chopped
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T capers
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut pork into 2-inch cubes; dry and season with salt and pepper. In cast iron frying pan, sauté pork in 1/4 inch olive oil and butter until brown. Remove meat to a plate or bowl; sauté onion, leek, and carrot until onion begins to brown. Add pork, wine, and rosemary; cover and place in oven. Cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally; add liquid as necessary*. Remove from oven; stir in mustard, capers, and a bit more rosemary.
*seriously, watch it carefully; I always have to add more wine
NOTES: Again, I usually cut the amount of pork in about half, BUT without changing the amounts on the other ingredients. If you’ve never cooked with leeks, be aware that there is sometimes a bit of dirt on the inside—to get rid of it, cut off the bottom of the leek, then run cold water into the top; it should drain out the bottom and wash out the dirt. Unlike the previous recipe, I prefer using fresh rosemary, in part because I haven’t lived in a place without a rosemary bush since 2001. It’s more of a pain to work with, but I consider it worthwhile. That being said, there’s no reason you couldn’t use dried rosemary. I use the same frying pan/lid combination mentioned above; obviously, you’ll use whatever you have, or go shopping for the right kind of pan/lid combo. Also, I generally use a leaner cut of pork than the shoulder, which cuts the cooking time to about 1 1/2 hours, so I can’t really say how it goes using pork shoulder, other than the original cooking time probably applies. Red wine goes well with this, as well as potatoes.
Cheers, all! And bon appétit!