Simply Recipes: Irish Beef Stew

My mom has been making beef stew for years, mostly in the colder months, but it always has kind-of a bland flavor to it. I've longed for something punchier, with more flavor, more oomph. When I saw the recipe for Irish Beef Stew, with Guinness and tomato paste, I decided I might have hit the jackpot. The result? Rich, flavorful, and satisfying.

Irish Beef Stew
From Simply Recipes, based on a recipe from Fidel Murphy's Irish Pub on Grand Cayman Island

¼ cup olive oil

1¼ pounds stew beef (1-inch pieces)

6 large garlic cloves, minced

6 cups beef stock

1 cup Guinness beer
1 cup red wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped, or 1 bag pearl onions

2 cups carrots, peeled and cut in ½-inch pieces

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley

Heat olive oil in heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and sauté until brown on all sides, about five minutes. Add garlic and sauté one minute. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

While meat and stock is simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onions, and carrots. Saute vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes. Set aside until the beef stew has simmered for at least one hour.

Check beef meat for doneness. If beef is still tough, cook for additional half hour. When beef is tender, add vegetables to stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off fat. Salt and pepper to taste. Top individual servings with parsley.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook: Classic Blondies

I am looking for a blondie recipe.  Maybe I should post a wanted ad.  Wanted: one blondie, halfway between a cookie and a brownie, preferably with lots of sweet goodness folded inside.  While this one works on some levels, and is obviously delicious in its own right, it's not quite there.  The search will continue.  And no, I'm not particularly sad about that fact.

Classic Blondies
From The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook

8 ounces White Chocolate baking bar, broken or chopped into 1-inch pieces
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 large eggs
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or Milk Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.  Grease the paper.

In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, melt the white chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the eggs until foamy.  With the mixer running, add the sugar in a slow, steady stream.  Add the vanilla.  Add the melted chocolate and butter in a thin stream.  With a rubber spatula, fold in the flour, salt, and chocolate chips until well combined.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean when inserted into the center.  Let the brownies cool for at least 10 minutes.  Cut and serve warm or at room temperature.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes 16 bars

Semi-Homemade Cooking 3: Fried Pork Chops and Cajun Mashed Potatoes

When you review cookbooks, sometimes you don't get to decide what comes in the mail.  Sometimes it's something that you would rather not mess with.  Like all this convenience cooking stuff.  But then you try a recipe that has promise, and it's actually good.  Like this pork chop.  With the fabulous crunchy coating.  But the purchased tub of potatoes still get a thumbs down.  How hard is it to boil some potatoes?

Fried Pork Chops
Adapted from Semi-Homemade Cooking 3 by Sandra Lee

4 bone-in pork chops, cut 1-inch thick
1 cup Bisquick baking mix
1 (1.6-ounce) packet dry ranch dressing mix
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons canola oil

Rinse pork chops with cold water; do not pat dry. In a shallow bowl, stir together baking mix, sauce mix, and paprika. Dredge pork chops in coating mixture and shake off excess.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown pork chops on all sides in oil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until done, about 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Cajun Mashed Potatoes

From Semi-Homemade Cooking 3 by Sandra Lee

1 (24-ounce) container mashed potatoes
¼ cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

Heat mashed potatoes, in container, uncovered on HIGH for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring once. Transfer mashed potatoes to a medium bowl. Add buttermilk and Cajun seasoning. Stir thoroughly. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings

Semi-Homemade Cooking 3: Niçoise on a Roll (Nice-Style Tuna Salad Sandwich)

As part of cookbook reviews that I do, I was tapped to review a Sandra Lee cookbook. Now, I'm not normally a big Sandra Lee fan, but I did find a few recipes in the book that were tasty and fast and semi-nutritious. My favorite has to be the Niçoise on a Roll.  It's got canned tuna, nicoise olives, capers, and hard-boiled eggs, and when served ice cold on a potato roll with plenty of lettuce, tomato, and onions, it's heavenly on a hot summer afternoon.

Niçoise on a Roll (Nice-Style Tuna Salad Sandwich)

From Semi-Homemade Cooking 3 by Sandra Lee

1 (6-ounce) can oil-packed tuna, drained

2 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon capers

10 niçoise olives

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fines herbes

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 round potato buns

2 Bibb lettuce leaves

6 slices Roma tomato

¼ red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into rings

Combine tuna, eggs, capers, olives, mayonnaise, fines herbes, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl.  Mix thoroughly.

Open potato buns and place one lettuce leaf on the bottom half of each bun.  Divide tuna mixture between the two sandwiches.  Top each with three tomato slices and red onion rings.

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook: Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ah, the pinnacle of home cooking perfection: the warm chocolate chip cookie.  No, I'm serious.  When I was in the military the summer before college, I actually dreamed about chocolate chip cookies.  I'm not sure if that's interesting or just sad, but I really do think it shows that these are the essence of comfort food.  I'm normally a semi-sweet girl, but milk chocolate is fun to try once in a while.  And this recipe has a bit more sugar and vanilla, so they turn out a tad sweeter and richer.  Not that that's a bad thing.

Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
From The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups Milk Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with the granulated and brown sugars using an electric mixer at medium speed until the mixture is creamy and lightened in color, about 4 minutes.  Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated.

Gradually blend the flour mixture into the creamed mixture.  Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.  Drop by the tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown.  Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Makes 48 cookies

The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse: Boulder Tangerine Tea Gingerbread

I recently returned from a trip to Boulder, CO, for some training for the company I work for. On the last day, I went with one coworker to a restaurant I had read about before leaving for Colorado. It's called The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, and the decorations were made by artists in Tajikistan, then imported and assembled. The teahouse itself was beautiful, with decorations in hues of blue and rose. The inside was nearly as lovely as the outside, with detailed tile ceilings, but since it was nice day, we opted to eat outside.

The tea list occupies its own separate menu, and I decided on a tea called Snow Mountain. It is a green tea with petals of chamomile, rose, jasmine, and lavender. It was delicious. For brunch I ordered the bangers and mash (grilled pheasant sausage with mashed potatoes and grilled escarole). The sausage was flavorful and slightly gamey, and the escarole had a nice grilled smokiness. For dessert we tried the famous gingerbread and the white chocolate pot de crème which comes with a layer of dark chocolate mousse and berries on top. Both desserts were luscious.

Boulder Tangerine Tea Gingerbread
Adapted from The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse as seen in Colorado Life magazine

2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
½ cup honey
½ cup molasses
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup strongly brewed Boulder tangerine tea

Orange Syrup
2 cups orange juice
½ cup granulated sugar
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick

Five-spiced Whipped Cream
8 ounces heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons Chinese five-spice powder
5 tablespoons powdered sugar

Mix oil, eggs, honey, molasses and sugar. Beat on medium speed until creamy, scraping bowl often. Reduce speed to low, add tea, and mix well. Sift dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add sifted dry ingredients to wet mix. Mix until moistened. Pour batter into oiled and floured square pan. Bake 350 degrees until set, about 50 minutes.

Cut gingerbread into equal squares, then cut each square in half, into triangles. Drizzle medium plate with orange syrup. Place gingerbread pieces on plate. Finish with five-spiced whipped cream.

Orange syrup: Combine all ingredients in sauce pot. Boil on stove top at medium heat, stirring frequently, until reduced to syrup.

Five-spiced whipped cream: Combine all ingredients and whip.

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook: Chocolate Mousse

When I get chocolate cravings, they hit HARD. I need chocolate right then. The darker the better. None of this wussy Hershey's milk chocolate. I need rich dark chocolate. So my favorite new cookbook for these times is the Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook. Each recipe is more delicious than the one before. And for someone that has never made chocolate mousse before, my little concoction turned out amazingly well. It managed to satisfy my chocolate cravings for the rest of the week. Highly recommended.

Chocolate Mousse
From The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup hot brewed coffee

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium-high speed, whip the cream to form light peaks.  Set aside in the refrigerator.

Melt the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.

Meanwhile, whip the eggs with the sugar at medium-high speed for about 10 minutes, until very fluffy and thick.

Stir the coffee into the melted chocolate chips.  The mixture will start to thicken, so work quickly.  Quickly stir in the beaten eggs, and then fold in the whipped cream.  Pour or spoon the mixture into cups or bowls.

Chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Alton Brown: Shortcake

I love when the first local strawberries start making their appearances in the grocery stores.  I know they ship those winter berries in from Peru or something, but it's just not the same.  These local berries, popping up just when it's warming up and sunny...  There's just something perfect about the timing and the sweetness.  And really it's just a good excuse to make a big pile of evil called a strawberry shortcake.

Shortcake
From Alton Brown

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons shortening
¾ cup half-and-half
Melted butter to brush shortcakes
Strawberries
Ice cream or whipped cream

Heat oven 450°F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in butter and shortening. Mix in half-and-half. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until brown. Cool and eat with berries, ice cream, and/or whipped cream.

Makes 8 servings

Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: Toad in the Hole

I have always wanted to try a dish with an amazing name, one that makes you wonder what the real ingredients of the dish are. Something crazy and British. Something like Bubble & Squeak. Or Spotted Dick. Or Toad in the Hole. Well, I decided on Toad in the Hole because I'm kind of a sucker for pork, and the "toad" is actually little pork sausages. It's actually really simple, the dough being a Yorkshire pudding, so I gave it a try. I expected something bland and tasteless (hey, isn't that the stereotype of British food?), but it was surprisingly delicious. The pudding was tender, and the sausages were crisp. Highly recommended.

Toad in the Hole
From Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics

2 large eggs

½ cup milk

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons vegetable oil or bacon fat

5 English-style fresh pork sausages, casings removed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Onion Gravy

Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/2 cup water, and mustard; season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the flour. Let stand 20 minutes.  Coat a 13 x 9-inch or 3 1/2-quart baking dish with the oil; heat in the oven 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Pour the batter into the dish. Arrange the sausages on top; sprinkle with rosemary. Bake until puffed, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with gravy.

Onion Gravy

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

½ cup Madeira wine

1 cup homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions, stirring, until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Cover; cook over low heat until brown, about 25 minutes. Add the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in the wine, stock, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until thick, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Gourmet: Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes

Sometimes you just need something homey and warm. Something fluffy and soft and delicious. Something with a golden crunch on the outside. Something smothered in maple syrup. Something like the perfect pancake.

Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes
From Gourmet magazine, May 2004

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk, well shaken

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, egg, and buttermilk until smooth. Heat a griddle or a large heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot enough to make drops of water scatter over its surface, then brush with oil. Working in batches and using a ¼-cup measure filled halfway, pour batter onto griddle and cook, turning over once, until golden, about 2 minutes per batch.