I didn't spend one red cent on lunch this week and I didn't go out or order in for dinner either. Holy crap, note this in the books as a first time in a long time, maybe even forever. It helped that the CA Beef Stew with Zinfandel totally kicked ass and I could eat it twice a day for the rest of my life.
Total for the year: $197.88.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Crusty Boule
Following up after making the dough the other night, I proceeded to bake a loaf of bread. There was a weird crust on the cold dough that was a little worrisome. The magazine said to expect this, not to worry, the crust would be fine; it turned out to be true as evidenced by the imaged bread above.
Crusty Boule
Using a knife, I cut the dough in half and that half into halves, allowing for an accurate quarter to be teased out of the bowl.
Hold dough and dust top with flour; quickly shape into ball by stretching surface of dough around to bottom on all four sides, rotating dough a quarter turn as you go.
Place dough on pizza peel or baking sheet liberally sprinkled with cornmeal or lined with parchment paper; cover loosely with lightly floured plastic wrap.
Let stand in warm draft-free place 1 hour or until dough is slightly puffed and no longer chilled.
I used my oven as a sort of proofer. The dough was placed on a rack over a large bowl of hot water.
Thirty minutes before baking, place baking stone on center oven rack; place empty broiler pan on bottom oven rack. Heat oven to 450°F.
Dust loaf with flour.
With serrated knife, make 2 or 3 (1/4-inch-deep) slashes in top of loaf.
Slide loaf (with parchment paper, if using) onto baking stone. Immediately pour 1 cup hot water into broiler pan; quickly close oven door to trap steam.
Bake 30 minutes or until deep golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. Cool completely on wire rack.
I'm impressed! The bread was simple to make and it came out quite well. The time requiring effort is about 5 minutes; additional time spent is essentially waiting for the dough to rise and then bake. This is going to go very well with the California Beef Stew with Zinfandel.
Click for the printable
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Oven-Roasted Veggies
Once upon a time, I made the original Better Homes and Gardens recipe for the first time and immediately fell in love with it. Over time, I made slight adaptations to make it more suitable for my tastes. And somehow, in my quest to try all things new, my adaptation fell out of rotation.
Attempting to reproduce my adaptation, I did this:
Oven-Roasted Veggies
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 14th ed., copyright 1996
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 14th ed., copyright 1996
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium turnip, peeled, quartered, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 medium turnip, peeled, quartered, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
3 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into wedges
1/2 c olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp lemon juice
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips
In a greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan combine potatoes, turnip, carrots, and onion.
1/2 c olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp lemon juice
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips
In a greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan combine potatoes, turnip, carrots, and onion.
Combine oil, herb, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Drizzle over vegetables; toss to coat.
Bake, covered, in a 325°F oven 45 minutes, stirring once.
Increase oven temperature to 450°F. Add bell pepper strips to baking pan; toss. 
Bake, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and brown on edges, stirring occasionally.
It tasted ok, but wow, olive oil overkill. Looking back on it, I think I used to use 1/4 c olive oil. A second take is in the future, for sure.
Cost:
- potatoes: $1.45
- turnips: $0.33
- carrots: $0.30
- onion: $0.40
- olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, seasonings: $1, SWAG
- red bell pepper: $1.17
Click for the printable
California Beef Stew with Zinfandel
I'm a Costco member and thus I get the Costco Connections magazine. The February 2011 "creative cooking" section featured Chef Bruce Aidells, the same guy who produces the various sausages I've grown to love. As a beef stew was the primary of the presented recipes, I had to give it a spin. A dude that makes sausage I'll eat has to have one kick-ass recipe for beef stew, right?
Intending to prepare the stew exactly as the recipe specified, I shopped like crazy for coppa only to find that it is not readily available as "coppa" in the Costa Mesa area. Butchers at The Meat House, Ralph's, Stater's, and Promelis Market all scratched their heads. I called Claro's over in Tustin to find that they offer coppa but were at closing time. The guy at Ralph's, after describing what I was looking for, recommended that I use pancetta for the entire quantity of Italian meats as the subtleties would not likely be missed.
Ok, I have a dumb palate, I can roll with that. And, I'd already purchased double the quantity of pancetta called for in the recipe. Done deal.
adapted from Costco Connection Feb 2011
Herb and Paprika Rub for Beef
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp freshly ground course black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
3.5 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 2" pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb pancetta, cut into 1/2" dice
1/2 c flour
2 c chopped onions
1 tbsp garlic, minced
3 c (about 700 mL) California Zinfandel, such as Barefoot
1 14.5-oz can chopped canned Italian-style tomatoes
1 c beef stock or broth
1 bay leaf salt and pepper to taste
Combine all rub ingredients. Toss the mixture with the beef cubes, cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
In batches, brown the meat on all sides over medium-high heat, then transfer it to a platter.
After browning the first batch, I was glad I hadn't reserved the pancetta on paper towel as I needed the fat accumulated in the bowl plus some additional olive oil to finish browning the beef.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pot. Or if your pot is bone dry like mine was, return the pancetta to the pot and render additional fat.
1/2 lb pancetta, cut into 1/2" dice
1/2 c flour
2 c chopped onions
1 tbsp garlic, minced
3 c (about 700 mL) California Zinfandel, such as Barefoot
1 14.5-oz can chopped canned Italian-style tomatoes
1 c beef stock or broth
1 bay leaf salt and pepper to taste
Combine all rub ingredients. Toss the mixture with the beef cubes, cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
Toss the seasoned beef with the flour in a large dish, shaking off excess flour.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.
Cook the pancetta until the fat is rendered and pancetta is golden, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon;drain on paper towel place in a small bowl.
I stuck with the 5 minute rendering time, but turns out I could've/should've gone up to possibly 10. And it was sheer luck I didn't place the pancetta on paper towel as I needed more fat later.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.
Cook the pancetta until the fat is rendered and pancetta is golden, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon;
In batches, brown the meat on all sides over medium-high heat, then transfer it to a platter.
After browning the first batch, I was glad I hadn't reserved the pancetta on paper towel as I needed the fat accumulated in the bowl plus some additional olive oil to finish browning the beef.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pot. Or if your pot is bone dry like mine was, return the pancetta to the pot and render additional fat.
Quite a bit more fat came off.
Add the onions and garlic, reduce heat to medium and cover pot. Cook and stir until onions are soft and beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Scrape up any browned bits from the pot.
Add the wine to the pot and bring to a boil; scrape up any more browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Return the beef and pancetta to the pot along with the tomatoes, beef stock and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, stirring well.
Cover the pot, put the stew in the oven and bake until the beef is fork-tender, about 2-2.5 hours. Remove from the pot from oven.
Mine was in the oven 2 hours.
The original recipe says to degrease the stew and taste it and reduce it if necessary. I skipped all that and simply stirred it. Then I covered it, allowed it to stand for an hour while I roasted my side dish, and took another look at it to determine if it was indeed fork-tender.
Add the onions and garlic, reduce heat to medium and cover pot. Cook and stir until onions are soft and beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Scrape up any browned bits from the pot.
Add the wine to the pot and bring to a boil; scrape up any more browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Return the beef and pancetta to the pot along with the tomatoes, beef stock and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, stirring well.
Cover the pot, put the stew in the oven and bake until the beef is fork-tender, about 2-2.5 hours. Remove from the pot from oven.
Mine was in the oven 2 hours.
The original recipe says to degrease the stew and taste it and reduce it if necessary. I skipped all that and simply stirred it. Then I covered it, allowed it to stand for an hour while I roasted my side dish, and took another look at it to determine if it was indeed fork-tender.
Yep, I'd say that's fork-tender as this hunk came off easily from a beef cube.
I plated the beef stew with roast vegetables on the side before poking a beef cube with my fork. And then, with my fork, I cut a portion of the beef from the cube and tasted.
California Beef Stew with Zinfandel is easily, I mean no two-ways about it, hands-down, the best beef stew I've ever had in my life. I can't believe I made it here in my kitchen. Stunned. Speechless. It's magical beef!
First of all, it's easy. Dry-rub some beef, throw it in the fridge, do some simple mise en place, do some cooking for a few minutes, throw it in the oven, and blammo, a couple hours later, a stew worthy of making a bathtub full in order to do some open-mouthed head-under-water bathing. Again, this is the best beef stew I've ever experienced in LIFE!
Second of all, the recipe is tip-top, allowing for deviation. Coppa? What's that? Who cares?! Degrease? Not necessary! Reducing and adding salt or pepper? Uh, what for, the flavors were fantastic! Even while cooking, the smells translated into succulent flavors causing my tongue to do it's damndest to reach my nostrils in order to have a taste of what my nose was smellin'. Previous beef stew experience incorporating wine resulted in a near-headache on my part. This time, I was ready to lap up the beefy wine as it was boiling in hopes for an off-chance with a piece of beef.
I'm tellin' ya, it's that good! You'll even put your grandma in a full nelson if she gets between you and this stew.
Cost:
This is so good, it's worthy of doing it even when none of the items are on sale. At times like this, I look back toward the beginning of this blog and am amazed at the flavors I've produced in my kitchen and am astounded by how I used to think this beef stew was good enough to have repeatedly. It's really true that the more you learn you realize how little you know.
Click for the printable
I plated the beef stew with roast vegetables on the side before poking a beef cube with my fork. And then, with my fork, I cut a portion of the beef from the cube and tasted.
California Beef Stew with Zinfandel is easily, I mean no two-ways about it, hands-down, the best beef stew I've ever had in my life. I can't believe I made it here in my kitchen. Stunned. Speechless. It's magical beef!
First of all, it's easy. Dry-rub some beef, throw it in the fridge, do some simple mise en place, do some cooking for a few minutes, throw it in the oven, and blammo, a couple hours later, a stew worthy of making a bathtub full in order to do some open-mouthed head-under-water bathing. Again, this is the best beef stew I've ever experienced in LIFE!
Second of all, the recipe is tip-top, allowing for deviation. Coppa? What's that? Who cares?! Degrease? Not necessary! Reducing and adding salt or pepper? Uh, what for, the flavors were fantastic! Even while cooking, the smells translated into succulent flavors causing my tongue to do it's damndest to reach my nostrils in order to have a taste of what my nose was smellin'. Previous beef stew experience incorporating wine resulted in a near-headache on my part. This time, I was ready to lap up the beefy wine as it was boiling in hopes for an off-chance with a piece of beef.
I'm tellin' ya, it's that good! You'll even put your grandma in a full nelson if she gets between you and this stew.
Cost:
- rub: $1
- chuck roast: $10.47
- pancetta: $6.21
- onion: $0.40
- garlic: $0.35
- CA Zinfandel: $5.99
- Italian-style tomatoes: $0.88
- beef stock: $0.16
This is so good, it's worthy of doing it even when none of the items are on sale. At times like this, I look back toward the beginning of this blog and am amazed at the flavors I've produced in my kitchen and am astounded by how I used to think this beef stew was good enough to have repeatedly. It's really true that the more you learn you realize how little you know.
Click for the printable
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