You know how northerners really start to get sad and gray around March, when winter has dragged on a little too long?
That's me in September and October. At that point it's been 6 straight months of 90+ degrees, and this girl just needs a break by then! I want to drink a spiced pumpkin latte without feeling like a fraud!
But now that the weather is in the chilly 60's, I am rising out of my bedroom cave like the weather-tempered Phoenix that I am!
And with the cooler weather comes to opportunity to share some of my favorite fall recipes!
Here's a stew that will haunt your dreams:
Jaime Oliver's Beef Stew. Jaime Oliver as in the cute Naked Chef with the adorable British accent. As if that isn't enough to love, this stew is ridiculously easy to make!
I made it about a month ago (when the temps were still stubbornly in the 90's) just because I couldn't stand it anymore and was going to at least PRETEND it was fall.
We had some friends over to watch football, and it was a hit with everyone! Make it for a big group or just for your family with plenty of leftovers!
This stew does not disappoint. I serve it over mashed potatoes and with warm crescent rolls.
Ingredients:
• olive oil
• a knob of butter (a knob! that's adorable!)
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• a handful of fresh sage leaves
• 800g/1¾lb stewing steak orbeef skirt, cut into 5cm/2 inch pieces (I do 2.5 to 3 lbs- we love us some meat)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• flour, to dust
• 2 parsnips, peeled and quartered (I use mushrooms or extra potatoes if I can't find parsnips)
• 4 carrots, peeled and halved
• ½ a butternut squash, halved, deseeded and roughly diced
• optional: a handful of Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and halved (Ive never used these b/c I can't find them, let me know if you do!)
• 500g/1lb 2oz small potatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• ½ a bottle of red wine (drink the other half while waiting for stew to cook)
• 285ml/½ pint beef or vegetable stock
• zest of 1 lemon, finely grated (optional, but worth it- that goes for the last 2 ingredients as well)
• a handful of rosemary, leaves picked
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
Directions:
The great thing about this stew is that it gets put together very quickly, and this is partly to do with the fact that no time is spent browning the meat. Even though this goes against all my training, I experimented with two batches of meat – I browned one and put the other straight into the pot. The latter turned out to be the sweeter and cleaner-tasting, so I’ve stopped browning the meat for most of my stews these days. (He's absolutely right. No need to brown the meat. Just make sure you really flavor the flour with salt and pepper.)
Preheat the oven to 160ºC/300ºF/gas 2. Put a little oil and your knob of butter into an appropriately sized pot or casserole pan. Add your onion and all the sage leaves and fry for 3 or 4 minutes. Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add it to the pan with all the vegetables, the tomato purée, wine and stock, and gently stir together. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and just a little salt. Bring to the boil, place a lid on top, then cook in the preheated oven until the meat is tender. Sometimes this takes 3 hours, sometimes 4 – it depends on what cut of meat you’re using and how fresh it is. The only way to test is to mash up a piece of meat and if it falls apart easily it’s ready. Once it’s cooked, you can turn the oven down to about 110°C/225°F/gas ¼ and just hold it there until you’re ready to eat.
The best way to serve this is by ladling big spoonfuls into bowls, accompanied by a glass of French red wine and some really fresh, warmed bread. Mix the lemon zest, chopped rosemary and garlic together and sprinkle over the stew before eating. Just the smallest amount will make a world of difference – as soon as it hits the hot stew it will release an amazing fragrance.
I lie about a lot of things. But I don't lie about food. Make this. Eat it. Rejoice.
Happy (Finally) Fall!!!!
