By Beauty Damned

Crazy Cooking Kick

I am feeling like such a homebody because of the serious drop in temperature, all I want to do is stay home and cook and eat and be lazy. It's times like this that I actually miss having to go to school when I was a kid (it's blasphemy!) for the simple fact that we got summers and lots of holidays off during which we could fuck off to our little heart's content until it was time to go back to school. That three months in the summer was pretty awesome, you have to admit. And the two weeks during the winter? Rad.

Being a grownup sucks when you realize that the three or four weeks vacation that your job allows you per year, if you're even that lucky, is the only real break you're going to get. Not that I'm complaining. Life has dealt me lots and lots of lucky hands, but it sure would be nice if the world operated on an elementary school schedule.

Anyway, back to being a homebody. Instead of the beef stew I was going to make last night, I made beef wellington. I've never made it before and it was the easiest thing imaginable. I thought it would be much more difficult since it seems so sophisticated when you have it in a restaurant, but if you buy the pastry already made it's a complete snap. Filet mignon is hard to ruin as long as you don't overcook it and I can't think of anything better to go with a juicy filet than mushrooms and shallots cooked down in wine and wrapped in puff pastry. I was so happy with the way it came out. I also made a huge batch of roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Since I had so much leftover mash, I decided to go with the beef stew tonight that I was going to make last night.

It's a much lengthier endeavor than the beef wellington and I definitely should have done it yesterday when I had the time, but I couldn't stop thinking about this beef stew made with beer that I'd seen a recipe for on foodtv.com. I had the stew meat ready and it needed to be cooked anyway, so I made the stew, bebe. I am telling you...

the. bomb. If you have the time, I highly suggest that you make this dish. It will really warm up your winter. Hey, no one could accuse me of not supporting the evil beef industry (nor the beloved beer industry). Sorry all my vegetarian friends. Sorry PETA. I know. It's murder. You can close your eyes.

Beef Stew with Caramelized Onions and Amber Lager (Recipe courtesy of Tori Ritchie, Cabin Cooking, Time-Life Books, 1998) Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 2 hours 35 minutes; Yield: 4 to 6 servings

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 lbs. beef stew meat, preferably chuck, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 1/2 pound yellow onions, sliced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose (plain) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
3 carrots, sliced
1 bottle good-quality amber lager or pale ale
1 cup beef or chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and ground pepper

In a large, heavy pot, warm the oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, brown the meat well on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary to keep the meat from scorching. Transfer the browned meat to a plate and repeat until all the meat is browned.

Add the onions and butter to the pot and stir over high heat until the onions start to soften, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and sprinkle in the sugar. Continue to cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add the flour, thyme and carrots and raise the heat to high. Stir for 1 minute, then pour in the lager or ale, letting it come to a vigorous boil. Stir in the broth and tomato paste and return to a boil.

Return the meat and any accumulated juices on the plate to the pot, let the liquid come just to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the meat is tender when pierced and the sauce is slightly thickened, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on warmed individual plates.

Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network (Some details omitted.)

Posted by Maria at December 5, 2005 09:13 PM | TrackBack