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Tuesday is Election Day, and we invited a few friends over to watch the returns, which is a great excuse to make some hearty, fall dishes.
The past few weeks, I have been fiddling with a recipe for beef stew. I have always marinated chuck cubes in red wine and herbs overnight, dredging them in flour and then carefully saut�ing. I add more wine, let it simmer and often serve it with noodles. Any dry red wine will do; Cotes du Rhone and Barbera are uncommonly good.
But recently, I’ve been hungering for an old-fashioned beef stew with vegetables. Mom made stew when my sister and I were kids, but it lacked depth and flavor. I used my family as culinary guinea pigs and came up with a perfect creation for election night.
Since the stew is a one-pot-wonder, all you need is a salad of hearty winter greens, a good loaf of bread and dessert.
Carrot Cake from "The Commissary Cookbook" is fail-proof and delicious with vanilla ice cream.
Winter Salad
Ingredients:
1 head of escarole, torn into bite-size pieces
2 romaine hearts, torn into bite-size pieces
1 bunch of arugula
1 head of red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
4 scallions, sliced
1 small red onion, diced
6 radishes, sliced
8 ounces of roasted red peppers, sliced
Crumbled cheese, such as feta or Gorgonzola
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Directions:
Place the vegetables in a large bowl and toss well. Top with the cheese, salt and pepper.
Whisk the oil and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Pour over the salad.
Serves six.
Beef Stew
Ingredients:
3 pounds of chuck cubes, cut into 2-inch pieces
Canola oil, for coating a pot
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of flour
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
6 large Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 shallots, peeled and diced
1/2 bottle of red wine
1 (32-ounce) package of chicken stock
2 heaping tablespoons of tomato paste
Water, if needed
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Wipe the chuck dry with paper towels.
Coat the bottom of a 5-quart pot with the oil. Add half of the cubes and heat over medium-high. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. With a large spoon, saut� as if preparing a stir-fry. When browned, remove and add the rest of the beef. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Saut� and drain most of the fat from the bottom of the pot.
Add the flour, carrots, potatoes, shallots and the set-aside cubes. Mix well. Add the wine, stock and tomato paste and blend well. If the beef is not completely submerged in liquid, add water. Bring to a boil.
Remove the pot from the stove and cook in the oven for two-and-a-half to three hours.
Serves six.
Note from Phyllis: Add four parsnips when adding the carrots and potatoes, if desired.
Carrot Cake
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups of Canola oil
1-1/2 cups of granulated sugar
2 cups of flour, plus 2 cups
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs, plus 2
1 pound of carrots, peeled and grated
Cinnamon, to taste
8 ounces of walnut pieces
8 ounces of raisins, optional
Vanilla ice cream
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cream the oil and sugar. Add the 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 2 eggs. Beat until blended. Add the remaining flour and eggs. Add the carrots and cinnamon. Blend well. Add the walnuts and optional raisins.
Pour the batter into a floured and greased angel-food-cake pan.
Bake for one hour.
It’s ready when a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Let cool in the pan. Invert onto a serving platter.
Serve with the ice cream.
Serves 10 to 12.
Note from Phyllis: Cover the cake with plastic or aluminum foil and store at room temperature. It also freezes beautifully. The classic recipe calls for cream cheese frosting, but some prefer ice cream. Substitute pecans for the walnuts, if desired.
