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Angela’s Amazing Lamb and Barley Stew

Seriously. This stew is soooo good! And easy-peasy to make! It’s not the cheapest stew in the world (the lamb will run you around $20) but it is 100% worth it.

About 2-2.5# of lamb (I used shoulder chops and steaks – the chops are best)
1 C sliced or shredded carrots
1 C sliced celery
1 C sliced mushrooms
1 C frozen pearl onions (or you can use sliced fresh if you prefer)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 C sweet Marsala wine (red will do here, but I strongly suggest Marsala)
1 C barley (toast it if you feel fancy)
About 3 cups chicken stock
flour w/ steak seasoning for dredging lamb (about a cup of flour and 2T seasoning)
Olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 T thyme (dried is fine)
1 T rosemary, finely chopped (fresh is best; use 1/2 T if dried)
salt and pepper

Trim the lamb from the bones and cut away fat and anything sinewy. Cut into bite sized pieces. Heat up a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with olive oil coating the bottom. While that is heating up, dredge the lamb in the flour/seasoning mixture. When oil is VERY hot, put one layer of lamb in to brown. Brown in batches, replenishing the oil as necessary. When all the lamb is browned and set aside, add in the veg with garlic last, putting it on top. Turn down the heat to med hi flame. You want the veg to cook, but not get too brown, so watch your heat. If the bits left from the lamb threaten to burn, put in a small splash of stock and turn down the heat a tad.

When the veg is getting soft, turn up the heat to hi flame and add back in the lamb. Stir everything together and add the Marsala. Add your herbs. When the wine has cooked off a bit, add 2 cups of stock and stir. I like my stews thick, so the last cup of stock is at your discretion. Add in the barley and BTB RTS (Bring To Boil, Reduce To Simmer). Let simmer for about an hour, checking it every 15 mins to make sure it’s not boiling or sticking. Adjust your thickness with stock and adjust your salt and pepper.

Serve in a big bowl with crusty bread and a hearty red wine. ENJOY!

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Pork Shoulder Stew

I had a small Boston Butt (pork shoulder roast) in the freezer that I wanted to use, so I made a stew. I found a recipe somewhere online and modified it quite a bit. The result was pretty darn good. I’m glad I decided to cut up the roast before I thawed it, because it was a CRAPPY cut of shoulder that wouldn’t have been a decent whole roast. It still turned out great in this recipe.

2-3# pork shoulder (Boston Butt), trimmed of fat and cut into 2″ pieces
salt/pepper
olive oil
1 Tbl ancho powder
1 Tbl chipotle powder
1 tsp cayenne powder
.5 tsp coriander, ground
1 tsp cumin, ground
2 Tbl masa flour (or AP flour is fine)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 lg onion, frenched
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 cups chicken stock
2 cans diced tomatoes (I used 1 fire roasted and 1 Chile flavored, use what you’ve got)
1 can chick peas (garbanzos, ceci) drained
1 Tbl tomato paste
a bit of sugar if the tomatoes are too acidic
3 Tbl fresh chopped cilantro (or parsley) optional garnish

Cut up the pork and sauté in heavy dutch oven until brown. Add in the 6 powdered ingredients and continue to sauté. When it starts to get stuck, deglaze with a bit of chicken stock and scrape up the brown bits. Turn down the heat to med-hi. Add in oregano, onions and garlic and cook until the onions start to get translucent. Add in tomatoes, tomato paste and chick peas. Add in more chicken stock to make a thick stew. Turn down the heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 1.5 hours. If you can wait that long. The pork should be soft enough after an hour or so, but the longer the better. Check periodically to see if more stock is needed. Kill the heat, let sit for a few minutes, then serve with cilantro garnish. YUM!

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Quick Boeuf Bourguignon

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Easy Boeuf Bourguignon

Marinading the stew beef is highly recommended - even if it's just a couple of hours. The wine helps break down the connective tissue that is typical of chuck. There are a good number of ingredients, but nothing exotic. This recipe is quite easy, just follow the steps! Bon appétit!
Course Main Course
Cuisine French
Keyword beef braise, beef stew, Boeuf Bourguignon
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 10 servings
Author misangela

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbl EVOO
  • 5 slices bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces sub pancetta
  • 2 pounds beef chuck, 1" dice aka stew beef
  • 2 Tbl S/P equal parts
  • 1 cup flour for beef dredge
  • 1 Lg onion, large 1" dice about 1.5 cups
  • 3 stalks celery, 1/2" slices on the bias about 1 cup
  • 3 med carrots, 1/2" slices on the bias about 1 cup
  • 4 cloves garlic, rough chop
  • 1 pound cremini mushrooms, stemmed, 1/2" slices cut in half if they are large
  • 2 Tbl butter I use salted always, doesn't matter
  • 1/2 cup brandy or cognac optional, but adds depth
  • 2 Tbl tomato paste
  • 3 whole bay leaves
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves 5-6 stems tied together whole or 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 pound frozen pearl onions about half a bag
  • 2 cups dry red wine pinot noir or a light cabernet
  • 2 cups beef stock start with one cup and add to taste/thickness of stew is to your liking
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, rough chopped leaves only

Marinade for Beef

  • 1 cup dry red wine you can put this marinade in the stew, just strain out peppercorns and bay leaf, then measure liquid and add fresh wine to 2 cups
  • 2 Tbl Lea & Perrins Worcestershire L&P is the best
  • 1 Tbl EVOO
  • 2 Tbl whole black peppercorns or you use the mixed ones
  • 2 whole bay leaves

Instructions

  • Marinate the beef! Put beef in a ziplock bag with marinade in the morning and let sit all day. Or even just a couple of hours would be fine. It really helps with the flavour of the beef and it softens the sometimes chewy bits of stew beef.
  • Preheat the oven to 300F.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.
  • Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then dredge them in flour, salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.
  • Toss the onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms, a good pinch of salt and 2 good pinches of pepper into the fat in the pan, along with the butter and cook for 10 to 15 minutes over med flame, stirring occasionally, until the veg is lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
  • Add the pearl onions, tomato paste, bay leaves and thyme. Stir for a minute.
  • Add the Cognac and scrape any bits from the bottom of the pot. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices.
  • Add the wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 hour or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.
  • Remove stew from oven and add fresh parsley. Check your S/P.
  • Serve with baguette.

Notes

This dish has a reputation for being difficult, mainly because Julia Child's recipe is soooo long! It is really not hard, there are just a few steps to follow. Drying the beef, dredging and searing it, is really the key to good boeuf bourguignon. 
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Greens and Israeli Couscous Soup

This soup was born from leftovers – as most of my original recipes are. It’s light and delicious!

1 bag of frozen turnip greens w/ diced turnips
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 med onion, halved and sliced (frenched)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
olive oil
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 box of Near East Pearled (Israeli) Couscous (any flavour, I used Garlic and Olive Oil)
2-3 cups chicken stock or broth
2 Tbl Lea and Perrins (or other worcestershire sauce)
2 Tbl Red Wine (or balsamic) vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

In a 4qt pot, sweat your onions and garlic in olive oil w/ the chipped red. Once the aromatics are translucent, turn up the heat and add the frozen turnip greens. Sautee the greens until they are hot. Add balsamic vinegar and S/P to taste. Add 2 cups stock (to start) and turn up flame to HI. Bring to a boil and add couscous w/ seasoning. Drop to a fast simmer until the couscous is tender. Add more stock if the couscous gets too thick. Add L&P and RW vinegar, check for S/P and red pepper flake levels. Adjust to your taste.

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Black Eyed Pea Salsa

1 can Black Eyed Peas, drained
1 or 2 ears of roasted corn (or you can use frozen)
1 roma tomato, diced (take out the seeds if you like a drier salsa)
1-2Tbl diced canned jalapeños (or diced fresh to taste)
1-2 finely sliced green onions
1 clove garlic, finely minced
zest of half a lime
juice of one lime
1Tbl seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp chipotle (or ancho) powder (less if you don’t like spicy!)
1/4 tsp cumin
dash coriander
handful chopped cilantro
1 tsp hot sauce (I use jalapeño or Cholula w/ lime)
salt to taste
sugar to taste (if it’s too acidic, mine usually is)

Mix all the goodness together and let stand either in fridge or on counter for at least 20mins for flavours to marry. Excellent with chips or on tacos. The powdered chiles give a slow burn that’s very nice!