Simplified Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce - An Adaptation

 

Hello my dear people. I hope I have not lost you all on account of my absence these past few months. My apology to any of you who might have thought I had deserted  my blog. It's just been a bit brutal with work and other obligations lately, but here I am back with you and ready to bring you another recipe I hope will bring you happiness. 

Winter always makes me crave food that can warm up even the dreariest of days. We have been experiencing some very frigid weather so I started looking for some good stew recipes. I found a Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce recipe via Food & Wine on Pinterest that sounded very delicious. Of course I adapted it to fit my very lazy mood at the time. I wanted the stew I just did not want to spend too much time chopping vegetables . Here is my simplified version.

Simplified Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce

2 lbs Beef round steaks (About 3/4" thick) cut into cubes.

2 TBSP  Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Medium White/Vidalia Onion - finely chopped

4-5 Garlic Cloves - Finely chopped

1 1/2 TBSP Flour

1 Bottle Red Wine (Ask your wine shop owner for one that will make a nice stew)

3-4 Medium Sized Bay Leaves

1/4 tsp Dried Thyme

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Put the olive oil into a dutch oven  and heat on medium high heat. slowly add in your beef cubes and season with salt and pepper to taste. make sure to brown the meat cubes on all sides. 

Add the onion and the garlic and cook until they become fragrant. Slowly add in the flour making sure to incorporate it without it creating any lumps. Slowly add in your wine using it to break up any flour lumps that might have formed. Stir in your bay leaves and thyme, distribute evenly. Simmer for one or two minutes and cover the pot.

Place the pot in the oven and cook for another hour and a half or so, allowing the liquid to thicken and reduce.

In the meantime you can either follow the directions on the Food & Wine recipe, or you can just make yourself some white or jasmine rice to accompany the beef. 

Below is an idea for you to make something with the left overs (if you have any). I just made a pizza with some caramelized onions, chopped kale and left over beef stew cubes. It was delicious. Here is the link for the pizza dough again. 

 

Enjoy and savor :)

Oven Roasted Chicken with Grape and Thyme Cream Sauce

I found this recipe in one of my Spinney's magazines and thought is sounded delicious so I made it. Here is the recipe:

For the Oven Roasted Chicken
3 or 4 Chicken legs (separated or whole depending on what size portion you would like)
4 TBSP Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Curry Powder
1 tsp Honey
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees celcius)

Place the chicken legs on a roasting pan, brush them with 2 TBSP of the oil and roast in the oven for about 35 minutes.

In a bowl mix 2 TBSP of the oil with the curry powder, honey, salt and pepper.

Once the chicken has cooked for the 35 minutes remove it from the oven and brush it with the oil, honey and curry mixture and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.

For the Grape and Thyme Cream Sauce
2 Shallots (finely diced)
1-2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1 1/4 Cup Cream
2 Fresh Sprigs of Thyme (If you don't have fresh Thyme sub in 1 tsp Dried Thyme leaves)
3/4 Cup Seedless Grapes (halved)

While your chicken is roasting in the oven you can make the sauce.

Heat the oil in a sauce pan oven medium high heat. Saute the shallots in the oil until translucent.

Add the chicken stock and allow it to cook and reduce by half.

 Add the cream and the Thyme and allow it to simmer until the mixture thickens.

Add in the grapes and season the sauce with salt and pepper to your taste. Remove from the heat and reserve until the chicken is ready.


Once your chicken is ready serve it on a plate with a good amount of sauce on top. You can either serve it with some rice or you can do what I did and just make a nice mixed salad with halved seedless grapes and blueberries.

Enjoy.

Pork Chops with Pear, Shallot and Thyme Medley

This is a nice and easy recipe that will take minimal time to make and the taste is just wonderful because pork pairs so nicely with pears. Here is what you will need.

4 Nicely sized pork chops (Usually something that is about 1 inch thick will do nicely with a nice edge of fat)

Salt and Pepper to taste (season the pork chops with these just before they go into the pan)

2 TBSP Butter

2 Large Shallots (sliced thin)

2 Large Bosch Pears (sliced thin)

1 TBSP Dry Thyme

1 Cup water

In a deep pan or dutch oven on medium heat add the butter, shallots and pear slices. Let the butter melt and make sure to coat the shallots and pears with it.

Cook until the shallots start to caramelize. then push the mixture into the center of the pan and add the pork chops.

Sear the pork chops on both sides.

Add the water and sprinkle the thyme just a little over the pork chops and mix the remainder into the shallot and pear mixture. 

Simmer for five minutes then cover and lower the heat to a medium low. 

Cook for about 20 - 30 minutes then turn off the heat and let it rest.

Serve with rice and your favorite vegetable and definitely give it a generous amount of the juices from the pan for a little extra love.

Enjoy :)