Stracotto with Porcini: Recipe 1!

Stracotto with Porcini over
creamy polenta

With not too much further ado (after all, you’ve waited five years for this, all my zero long-time readers), here is the last recipe!  For context, I ate this at an Italian wine tasting at a slice of heaven, Dave’s Fresh Pasta.  My good friend and I liked it so much (despite already eating five plates of food…), that I wrote them to request the recipe a few days later.  They replied and told me they’d just used Giada’s recipe, and sent me the link.  

This recipe is easy, smells great while cooking, and could feed the entire army of...Vatican City?  According to the Internet, it’s a country, so I’m stickin’ with it!  Clearly this called for a crowd, so I sent out a call for meat eaters, and Hannah, Emily, Zoe and Peter turned up hungry.  I fed them this over some creamy polenta (ie. milk instead of water and some parmesan and spices stirred in) and made sure they left feeling disgustingly full and a little tipsy after serving them the Smitten Kitchen’s delicious recipe for Red Wine Chocolate Cake (I'll share that recipe later, but here is the link).

Good friends = good eating times

Despite me having a celebratory Old Fashioned that caused me to forget to add salt and pepper at the end, they all claimed to really like it (but don’t forget to season it; it does enhance the flavor, duh). And, despite five hungry grown adults (although Emily and I might only count as one standing on each others shoulders), I had at least five servings left over.  I can attest to this, like chili, deepening in flavor over time, especially when you say, add some more wine when you reheat it…All in all, it was a great dinner, with great company, and a delicious way to cap of my 52 Le Creuset Project!  I’ll have some thoughts on that for you tomorrow, along with my top 10 list from the project.  

Stracotto with Porcini

Serves 8-10

Recipe adapted from Giada/Food Network

Stracotto with Porcini and Polenta

Ingredients

1 5lb boneless chuck roast

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

6 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

1.5 cups red wine

1.5 cups beef broth (low sodium)

½ oz dried porcini mushrooms (rehydrated and rinsed)

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, destemmed and chopped

6-8 sprigs of fresh thyme, destemmed

salt & pepper

Case of the Terribles: Some Top Favorite Ways People Have Found This Blog

A long, long time ago, I started keeping a list of searches that led to people like you, reader, finding this website.  I think it's high time I shared it, in case I don't get you anything else for Christmas.  Enjoy.  I know I did!  

1. nkotbsb shirtless
   - Amen.  
2. i'm peeta and i know it
   - HOW? Please elaborate. 
3. why is macaroni and cheese so good
   - A question of universal import. 
4. macaroni and jesus recipe
   - Oh, is your macaroni holy?  Mine was (except not).     
5. marge simpson playing a instrument
   - ?
6. canada a land of adventure
   - It IS a land of adventure! 
7. men scared of the truth
   - I'm scared to ask, and I'm not a man. 
8. lebron james tidbits
   - Let's keep this clean, kids.  
9. what is green gobbles
   - It's a tropical parasite that enters through your...wait, I think we're talking about salad.
10. boy21 chapther 37 summery
    - Leths thum things up for thish ethasy for a book you didn't read, high sthoolers. 
11. oregon trail game dysentary
    - YES.  YES.  YES.  
12. dessert for raven bouys
    - But only if you anchor the boat first, Gansey.    
13. i am hungry
    - Always.  
14. mac+and+queso+cheese
    - I dare you to go to a Mexican restaurant and order cheese on your quesadilla.  
15. i ate 13 chicolate kisses
    - I love you.  Also: are you my childhood dog reincarnated? If so, call me?

Sweet Potato Brownies (bonus recipe)

I feel compelled to share a culinary experiment that became a quickly disappearing gastronomic success, both because it really surprised me that it worked structurally and that it actually was tasty.  I came across a Pinterest pin for this recipe for Sweet Potato Brownies, and was instantly all "What the cornbread stuffing?! How in the Charles Dickens does that even work? You must be outside your mind if you think brownies not made with any flours taste like brownies, Internet."

Naturally, I had to try.  Naturally, I tweaked it a bit.  Naturally, I added a little spice.  Unnaturally, it worked.  It really, seriously worked.  It did not survive the weekend, let alone for much longer than it took to take this truly crappy picture.  Luckily, they're made with sweet potatoes, so I only felt 15% bad about having some for breakfast, and 10% of that was just feeling guilty because I felt like I should feel guilty for having a brownie for breakfast. The best way to describe this is as a warming, soft, slightly gooey, sweet way denser souffle-like marvel without being cloyingly sweet delicious delight.  It's probably not for those weirdos who like cakey brownies or the corner, but it is for those of use who fight to get the gushiest, gooiest piece, smack dab in the middle.  The best part?  I suspect you can totally tweak the flavor profile by using different nut butters and stir-ins, as I've noted where I should.  In the notes.

Good luck trying to share these, brownie aficionados.

Sweet Potato Brownies

Serves one: you (or a few friends if you can bear to share)

Sweet Potato Brownies 

(Freekeh) Red Lentil Mujadara: Recipe 2

Freekeh Red Lentil Mujadara

 I envisioned this post would be about warming foods in cooler fall temperatures.  In fact, there were cooler fall temperatures when I made this a few weeks ago in late September.  Back then, all I could think about was how I was suddenly cold all time time, how good Honeycrisp apples are, when the leaves were going to explode, and as always, what I would have for dinner.  Every day, guys.  Every. Day.  But then, we seemed to have a resurgence of late summer weather, and despite thinking about what I wanted to eat for dinner every day, all day, it just seemed weird to suggest  a warming, cozy dish when turning your fan back on or false starting on breaking out your fall-weight sweaters and jackets, even if the colors in New England are exploding this year (dinner thoughts: what else can I put hummus on?).  It also seems like great timing as I spent some quality time with good friends in New Hampshire last weekend, hiking, cooking, and country fairing it up as we generally enjoyed New England at its best.  Bonus pictures of adorable baby oxen/steer/cows at the bottom of the post.  Can you tell I'm from the 'burbs?

Is there anything as good as Medjool dates, besides a giant bowl of Medjool dates?
Trick question: you already knew the answer was no. 

This apple, guys.  

Today seems like an appropriate day for to finally post this, though.  It's cool and overcast in Boston, there are leaves everywhere (which may or may not be a player in the creation of a sprained ankle that appeared early on Friday morning...other contenders include a crack in the sidewalk, clumsiness, badweekitis...all in all, should make the half I'm running in four weeks really, really easy, right?), and it is October, after all.  Anyways, enjoy this warming Middle Eastern inspired dish.  I tried it with Freekeh, because I like to say it and also: Halloween! Freaks! Works, right?  But: traditionally it's made with bulgur, and I think I might make it with farro next time (because it is the bestest).  It's simple, relatively quick, and filling.  It goes well with fall, friendship, and viewings of Outlander (omg omg omg you guys, it's actually GOOD.  SQUEE.  Also: phew!).  

(Freekeh) Red Lentil Mujadara

Serves 4-6

Freekeh Red Lentil Mujadara

Red Wine and Thyme Tomato Jam (Recipe 3)

Red Wine and Thyme Tomato Jam

Yes, I know how long it has been since I last posted anything substantive. Yes. And yet, I refuse to feel bad, because a) summer, b) I've been enjoying actually reading books to read them instead of reading them to review them, and c) I've excitingly taken a new job as a library director and, duh, had to learn to do my job. For all other quibbles, I refer you to point the first, otherwise known as a. It was summer, it has been hot, and who really wants to hover over a pot, even a pretty one like my bluetiful Le Creuset?

That said, it has been end of summery, which to me always means the best tomatoes of the year, in quantities you can barely fathom. In fact, when one of my girlfriends went a-honeymooning after her marvelous wedding, she bequeathed me her bountiful, juicy, delicious weekly share of tomatoes from her farmshare. Most survived to see the pot; several were devoured directly on the spot. I've been a fan of tomato jam since I first travelled to the Carolina's and tried it at Asheville's now defunct Tomato Jam cafe. The South is onto something, Northern friends. Tomato jam is where it's at!

Red Wine & Thyme Tomato Jam

(adapted from The Boston Globe Magazine)

Makes roughly 28 oz.

3 lb ripe tomatoes, cores removed and chopped

¾ c + 1tbsp turbinado sugar

5 Tbsp red wine vinegar

3 medium shallots, minced

1.5 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

1 cup red wine

¼ tsp salt

1 Tbsp olive oil

1) In a food processor, pulse tomatoes, ¾ c sugar and vinegar until it is finely chopped.

2) In a large Le Crueset/Dutch oven, or huge and deep pan, warm olive oil over medium high and saute shallots, thyme and salt for roughly three minutes until they are soft.  

3) Add the 1 Tbsp sugar to the pot and saute another minute or two over medium until incorporated.

4) Add the wine and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent burning/sticking to the bottom of the pot and cook down until most of the liquid has evaporated and a rougher liquidy glaze starts forming, roughly 5-7 minutes.

5) Add the tomato mixture, stir, bring to a simmer, and cook for about an hour until the volume of liquid has reduced dramatically and mostly cooked off.  

6)  Serve, or cool and save!

Notes:

- A lot of the adaptation of this recipe was born of necessity; ie.  I had a LOT of tomatoes, turbinado sugar, and a huge bunch of thyme...so upped the other ingredients too.  The gist of the idea comes from the Globe’s recipe, though I found their suggested cooktime woefully off, and consulted the Down Home Kitchen cookbook for a much more accurate cooktime 1-1 ½ hours!

- I worked in batches because my food processor is too tiny to accomodate the masses of tomatoes I used.  Just pour into a large bowl and stir when you’re done with all!

- Other versions of this include spices like ginger, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, lemon, etc.  I decided to stick with the basics here, but may experiment with those later!

- I chopped everything very finely, and ran it through a food processor.  If you prefer a much rougher version of this, don’t do that!

- If you can can, can.  If you, like me, are not so proficient, this should keep for about two weeks in the fridge or you can freeze it.  

- This obviously goes well with biscuits.  But some of us don’t readily have access to good biscuits (#notfromthesouth)...so I’ve tried it on toast, English muffins, as a spread in sandwiches, and on chicken so far.  All good!