Heat a large stew pot or dutch oven over medium high heat and add the olive oil.
Cut the stew beef into smaller pieces to make it more spoon friendly.
Season the beef with salt and pepper to taste. Brown the beef, in batches if you need to, then set aside.
Dice the onion and add to the pot and cook until it’s softened. Add the herb de Provence and Worcestershire sauce then stir to combine.
Add back in the beef then add the beef broth. Allow the soup to come to a boil then put the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to a simmer.
Cook for 2 hours stirring occasionally.
After 2 hours of cooking the meat should be tender and the stock reduced a little.
Chop the rest of the vegetables into bite sized chunks and add to the soup. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
Snip a few sprigs of parsley over the top for color and serve.
If you’d like to make your soup thicker add a bit of cornstarch slurry (1 part cornstarch to 2 parts cold water)
by wishingforhorses
Nigellissima
The flames of my girl crush on the most excellent Nigella Lawson have been fanned even higher with this beautiful new book. The recipes (so far) are no fail and so easy!
by wishingforhorses
Happy Things
You. Guys! This is the most charming thing I’ve seen in a long time!
The Paperman by Disney Directed by John Kahrs, uses a mix of traditional and CG animation techniques.
by wishingforhorses
Calamari Stir-fry
Something of an internationally miss-matched name, I know. My guess is that both Italians and Asians would be alarmed, but It turned out really well! It made the hour and some struggle to clean what turned out to be completely unprocessed squid very worth it! I’ll offer the how to at the end of the recipe so as not to put you off your appetite.
Calamari Stir-fry
1 lb. defrosted & cleaned Squid (rings and tentacles)
2 cups shredded Chinese (Napa) Cabbage
1 Carrot (thinly sliced)
1 cup Snow Peas (julienne)
1 can Baby Corn (drained)
Roughly chopped Cilantro to garnish
Heat a large saute pan or a wok over high heat and add a couple of tablespoons of canola oil. Once your oil is just starting to smoke toss in the squid and toss around till it starts to curl up and turn opaque.
Turn the heat down to medium heat.
Add the veggies and toss to combine with the squid. Add about 2 tablespoons of the Sesame Ginger Dressing and toss with the meat and veggies. Cover the pan for two minutes to allow the veggies to cook a little more.
Serve immediately over jasmine rice with another splash of the dressing over the top.
Ginger Sesame Dressing
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/8 cup Toasted Sesame Oil
1/4 Canola Oil
1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Lime Juice
Dash of Fish Sauce
Combine all ingredients in a tightly sealed jar, then shake well to mix.
Cleaning squid how to:
Imagine my surprise when I defrosted my squid, opened the box to find completely unprocessed squid. Well crap!
As one does in this situation I called up Alton Brown’s Good Eats episode “Squid Pro Quo.”
That helped enormously, however, it didn’t cover how to skin or gut the wee beasties.
Follow AB’s instructions of how the de-head and cut the tentacles off. From there, for the remaining innards squeeze the tube of the body like a toothpaste tube (warning this is pretty gooey and inky)
Next gently detach the “backbone” from the skin inside the tube and pull carefully out. You’ll have to go fishing for it up there if you break it, but mostly they came out in one piece.
To skin them, hold the tubes onto the board and scrape the skin off with the back of your knife moving from the small end to the large. It comes off very easily.
Now cut your tubes into thick rings and give the squid meat a nice long wash in cold water. Pat or run it through a salad spinner to dry and store wrapped in paper towels and sealed tightly in Tupperware, or some such.
by wishingforhorses
Carrot & Cilantro Salad Spring Rolls
Browsing through some collected recipes last week, I ran across a favorite for a carrot and cilantro salad that I’ve served with my version of Chicken Tikka Masala. It occurred to me that the salad would make excellent spring roll filling. I hadn’t yet attempted spring rolls so I turned, as I usually do, to the internet for tutorial. Happily, I immediately happened upon this video of Rachel of Elephantine making spring rolls.
I’ve followed her technique of stretching the rice paper wrapper over a salad plate for filling and rolling. Also, I learned that if you keep your finger tips wet it’s easier to manipulate the soggy yet delicate rice paper. First though, you’ll need to make the carrot salad…
Carrot & Cilantro Salad
5 Carrots (peeled and grated)
1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro Leaves
5 rice Spring Roll Wrappers
Simply grate the carrots with your food processor or on a box grater and toss with the cilantro leaves.
Whisk all ingredients together and then toss with the carrot and cilantro mixture.
To assemble the spring rolls first gather a large pie plate or baking dish and fill it with warm water. (I first tried it with hot water and burn my fingers)
Slide the rice paper into the warm water and allow it to soften for about 30 seconds or so. Take it gently out of the water and stretch it over a salad plate, dab off any excess water with a paper towel.
Place about 2 tablespoons of the carrot salad on the lower part of the rice paper and roll gently but tightly. About half way up, fold in the sides and continue wrapping until you reach the end.
Cut your spring roll in half and serve on a chilled plate.
The picture shows that I served them with peanut sauce but my guinea pigs thought that a light plum sauce or more Lime Cilantro dressing might be better.
by wishingforhorses
Sunday Surfing
photo by colony13stars
It’s freaking cold out! Brrr! So lets stay in our robes and jammies, pour a nice mug of something hot and watch videos on the internet!
This looks so fun! Would be awesome to have at a party.
Shhhooooom!
Sorry that sound you heard was my jaw hitting the floor. That was incredible!
I love the internet!
by wishingforhorses
The Brown Sugar Martini
Someone turned 21 years old today!
You know what that means, boozing it up at the pub and getting free birthday drinks! Whooo Partay!
Oh wait, right she’s a cat.
Well SOMEONE needs to have a drink today! So in her honor I’ve made up a tasty cocktail.
Why not mix up a batch and toast: “Here’s to very, very old cats! Happy 21st Birthday Sugar!”
The Brown Sugar Martini
Decorate a martini glass with a drizzle of caramel sauce.
In a cocktail shaker full of ice add:
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 part Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
(1/2 cup dark brown sugar & 1/2 cup water: Bring to a boil then cool before using)
2 parts Vanilla Vodka
Shake well and pour into your caramel swirled glass, then float a teaspoon of cream over the top.
