With the cooler weather here in Southern California, it was time to get a pot of beef stew going.
I think this will easily serve 8 to 10 people.
Ingredients:
2 to 3 pounds of lean stew meat or chuck roast
3 cloves garlic
1 (14 oz.) canned tomatoes
4 carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 celery ribs
1-1/2 cups chopped leeks
4 potatoes, chopped
2 sweet onions, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup frozen peas
optional spices: 2 bay leaves and a pinch of thyme, rosemary, oregano, or sage
salt & pepper
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water
I used two packages of stew meat, but for our tastes, it was a bit too much meat--you can adjust the quantities for your tastes.
Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
I don't put any oil in the pan--I heat up the pan and put the meat into it to sear--then turn the meat over & stir when it's seared on one side.
Add the garlic.
Add 1/2 cup red wine.
And a can of stewed tomatoes and 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce.
Simmer on low heat for 90 minutes.
The meat cooks well in the crock pot, too.
Chop your vegetables.
If you want the leeks to dissolve into the stew, add them when the meat first starts simmering--or add them with the rest of the vegetables.
Add the vegetables and simmer for 25 minutes or until the meat is soft and vegetables are done.
Bring the pot back to a boil and add the cornstarch and water, a little at a time, stirring until the mixture thickens.
Then add 1 cup frozen peas, simmer for 5 minutes more.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Itadakimasu!
***
I've been doing a lot of craft shows lately.
Last weekend we went to San Leandro for Eden's Holiday Craft Show by Asian Accents.
My friends Daniel and Cynthia of Clayvision were there with their cute charms, bracelets, ornaments and food journals.
Saimin.
Bento.
Sushi.
Breakfast.
At one of the other craft shows, their son Cameron played in the car with Dixie.
He likes it when he talks to Dixie and she wags her tail.
This is Cameron just last year in San Leandro.
He's grown so much in a year!
Just last year, Daniel & Cynthia's little one was playing with my little one.
They played again together this year, but this time I didn't get any photos--big mistake.
Time goes by fast.
Take a lot of photos.
***
Ingredients:
2 to 3 pounds of lean stew meat or chuck roast
3 cloves garlic
1 (14 oz.) canned tomatoes
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
4 carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 celery ribs
2 cups chopped leeks
4 potatoes, chopped
2 sweet onions, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup frozen peas
optional spices: 2 bay leaves and a pinch of thyme, rosemary, oregano, or sage
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water
Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and sear in a hot pan.
Add 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup red wine, 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce and canned tomatoes and simmer for 90 minutes on low heat. Add optional spices if desired.
Add vegetables, except peas, and simmer on low for 25 minutes until the meat is soft and vegetables are done.
When vegetables are done, bring the pot back up to a boil and add the cornstarch and water, a little at a time, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.
Add the peas and simmer for 5 minutes more or until peas are done.
Some people might say this dish should be called fish stew.
I had always thought bouillabaisse was a peasant dish that fishing families made with the bounty of their catch and there were as many variations as there were families and types of fish.
I have learned that there are those out there that are a little fussy about what qualifies as bouillabaisse--especially since I am not using *gasp* white fish.
"When looking for a Bouillabaisse recipe in US, you’ll quickly learn that there is a Bouillabaisse police. If they could give out violation tickets for using the name of this holy soup in vain, they would. You used mussels in your broth – $50! You didn’t fly in the appropriate varieties of fish from the Mediterranean -- $100! ...Don’t even get me started on what makes authentic Bouillabaisse – I don’t care."
I don't have a set recipe, I don't know (or, like Helen, particularly care) what is authentic--I generally use whatever I feel like putting in it, or what is available.
In any and all ways, bouillabaisse is a favorite at our house.
At one time, it was our go-to dish for special occasions--and we had it with our extended family every Christmas day.
Now we have shabu-shabu for special occasions, and I'd forgotten how much I enjoy this dish.
I'll have to make it more often and be sure to invite my friends that love it--the more people you have, the bigger the pot and the more kinds of seafood you can have!
The key to making good bouillabaisse is to make it with seafood you like.
I don't care for mussels, so I don't add them--but I have friends that love them and say they are a must--so use what you like.
Traditionally, the fish used is a white fish, but my family loves salmon and I've been using salmon for the last few years with rave results.
Adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook
Ingredients:
about 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1 large leek, rinsed thoroughly and chopped
1 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 cups canned tomato puree
3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
2 bay leaves
4-6 cups water or stock
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
3 to 6 tablespoons butter mixed with 1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 heaping teaspoon saffron threads
an assortment of fish such as:
cherrystone or manila clams, scrubbed
raw shrimp
crab
fish--sea bass, snapper, cod or salmon
scallops
lobster
Saute the chopped leek, onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms and garlic in olive oil until soft and lightly colored.
Add the canned tomato puree and fresh chopped tomatoes along with the wine, and bay leaves.
Then I zipped about a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves off the stems and added them to the pot.
Simmer for about 30 minutes.
Then add the chopped parsley.
Season with salt and pepper.
Taste the broth.
I added a tablespoon of brown sugar and some water to balance the flavors.
Balance the flavors according to your tastes.
Turn heat to low or turn the heat off until just before you're ready to serve.
Scrub the outside of the clams with a vegetable brush.
This is a picture of Warren, me and Gordon fishing in the Sierras when we were little.
We must be attempting to show off a fish we've caught.
I'm sure we couldn't have been fighting.
If we were fighting, I would have been mad.
Warren's my buddy.
He's smart and has a lot of talents.
Warren is a mountain biker.
That's their dog, Lucy.
Warren's also what I'd call a Foodie.
He knows what's good and is always going out to restaurants to try different things.
Warren loves fishing.
For a while, he fished in the bass circuit.
He's good at trout fishing, too.
He knows where all the big fish are in Gull Lake and Crowley Lake in the Eastern Sierras.
He grew his hair out for several years.
But got it cut recently for his son's wedding.
He looked nice.
And 20 years younger with short hair.
He recently went deep sea fishing for three days and won the jackpot fish each day.
He's really good at fishing.
***
Adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook
Ingredients:
about 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1 large leek, rinsed thoroughly and chopped
1 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 cups canned tomato puree
3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
2 bay leaves
4-6 cups water or stock
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
3 to 6 tablespoons butter mixed with 1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 heaping teaspoon saffron threads
an assortment of fish such as:
cherrystone or manila clams, scrubbed
raw shrimp, shells removed
crab, shells cracked & broken apart
fish--sea bass, snapper, cod or salmon--cleaned and cut bite-sized
scallops
lobster, cut into pieces
Prepare seafood and set aside.
Saute the vegetables and garlic in olive oil, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly colored, about 30 minutes.
Add the tomato puree, fresh chopped tomatoes, wine, bay leaves, thyme and parsley. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and adjust seasonings, adding 1 tablespoon brown sugar and water if necessary.
Mix 3-6 tablespoons of softened butter (depending on how rich you like it) with 1 tablespoon flour into a smooth paste.
Whisk into simmering soup and add a heaping teaspoon of saffron threads.
Add the seafood and gently cook for about 5 minutes or until the clams have opened, the fish is firm and the shrimp is pink and curled. Do not overcook. Garnish with basil, parsley or chives.
Ladle into warm bowl and serve with a green salad, hot rice or bread.
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