Changes and Eleven Cloves Chicken

In the thirty plus years we've lived here on Humminbird Hill, the road that runs by the farmhouse and down to the highway has never been re-paved. One time the county did a chip seal on it, but the rest of the time it was pot hole city. Some pot holes eventually were holding the other pot holes together.

Late last week county trucks showed up in the back of the parking lot of the fire station and that day they trimmed the weeds by the side of the road. What is funny about that is that the county had parked that same kind of trimming vehicle on the parking lot for at least four summers in a row...and never used it to mow anything. Change was coming!

The day after the trimming, different equipment showed up early in the morning and they began laying asphalt on the road. The next day they did the other lane. Temporary striping was added. It was an amazing transformation...it is now almost pleasant to drive on the road. There are still other sections to pave, but it's great to have any smooth road. Of course we have to be careful now crossing the road...we used to be able to hear cars coming as they bumped along. Now the oncoming traffic is relatively quite...and they drive faster. Guess you get the good and the bad with change.

Other changes include drywall being installed on the area around the window in the farmhouse bedroom. Sweetie did the taping and mudding and I sanded it this morning. Still lots of work to do with more compound and sanding and new trim and paint, but it's looking good.

Very grateful for my wonderful neighbors. Various of us collaborated today on fruit and jam, picking out paint colors, and getting garbage cans to the road. Very lucky to live in this great neighborhood.

I bought a braid of fresh garlic at the farmstand we visit once a week, so yesterday I used a head of it to make chicken and garlic. The full recipe uses something like two pounds of chicken and 40 cloves of garlic but I only had three boneless, skinless chicken thighs, so I just used one head, which came to eleven cloves. With some shallots, thyme, pepper and chicken broth along with the chicken and garlic, it makes a delicious entree. We had peas and baguette with it. The bread is good because you can spread garlic on it and use it to mop up the delicious juices.

Eleven Cloves Chicken

3 -4 chicken thighs
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
1 head garlic (about 11 cloves), cloves separated and peeled, skin discarded
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon freeze dried shallots (I use Penzey's), reconstituted in a little water
1 can (about 12 oz.) chicken broth

If they are wet or damp, dry chicken thighs with paper towel or tea towel. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken, turning at about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the dried thyme, turning the chicken over to cook that side until golden. Remove the chicken to a bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet and oil, brown the whole garlic cloves, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add the fresh thyme and reconstituted shallots and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth and stir, scraping any browned bits from the skillet.

Return the chicken and any juices that collected in the bowl to the skillet. Cover and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Check to see that chicken is cooked...juices will run clear when center is pierced with a sharp knife. Serve a spoonful of juices, including cooked garlic cloves with each serving of chicken.

Lamb Shanks Savory Delight

I've had lamb shanks at restaurants, the last time being in Avignon in France, but have never made them myself...at least not that I can remember. Turns out that they are an easy braise and a savory delight. The key things are to brown the shanks very well before braising, and to start the dish early enough that you can allow it a nice, slow braise in the oven for tender meat.

So, what is braising, you may ask? It is slow cooking of something with additional liquid added. Pot roast is a well known example.

Sweetie and I provide pasture for lambs for our neighbors each year. As a thank you they usually give us some lamb. I was going through the freezer a week or so ago and noticed that they had given us a beautiful lamb shank, almost two pounds in size. This is the perfect size for a dinner for two. Although you can probably get lamb shanks that are boned by the butcher, for this braise a shank with the bone is best.

A quick review of online recipes revealed that you brown the shank, brown aromatics like onion, garlic, carrot and celery, then cook all of those with a liquid, often wine, and with aromatic herbs like rosemary and thyme. I also added a pinch of dried orange peel, a trick from Julia Child.

This was a most delicious meal. I served the shanks in low, wide soup bowls with cooked yukon gold potatoes, smashed, and with cooked peas. I sprinkled gremolata on top to add a bring note and spooned on some of the delicious broth and vegetables. It was the perfect dish for a chilly winter evening. Try it yourself and see!

For those who are keeping track of what I am up to beyond food, a couple of days ago I was rear ended shortly before noon. The good news is that, other than some muscle soreness on my right side, I am fine. I was pretty shaken up and very sore yesterday, but rest and fluids, some movement and stretching, and chiropractic and ice and some ibuprofen have helped. The poor car will take some time to repair but in the meantime I scored a nice rental SUV. Thanks to everyone who expressed their concern. Although sometimes injury doesn't show up right away, as far as I can tell I'll be fine.
Sweetie was, as always, a rock and I'm sure I would have fallen to pieces without him. I'm a blessed and lucky woman!

Lamb Shanks with Red Wine and Herbs
Serves 2

2 one pound lamb shanks or one two pound shank
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups red wine
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 15oz. can diced tomatoes and juice
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon dried, crushed orange peel

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Rinse lamb shank(s) and dry thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in heavy oven-proof covered dutch oven or similar large pot. Brown lamb on all sides. Remove to plate. Saute carrot, celery, onion and garlic in same pot, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add wine to the pot and stir to deglaze pan. Return the lamb to the pot, add the chicken broth, tomatoes and juice, herbs and orange peel. Cover pot and place in preheated oven. Cook for one and a half (1 1/2) hours, then turn pot 180 degrees and cook in oven at same temperature another one to one and a half hours, until meat is tender and falling off the bone.

Serve at once, with generous portions of the juices and vegetables in the broth. If desired, top with gremolata.

Gremolata
1 clove garlic, minced fine
lemon zest from one lemon
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Combine all ingredients. Sprinkle over cooked meats, poultry or veggies that need a flavor lift.

Quick Lemon Chicken

I love the Lemon Chicken for a Crowd that marinates for a while and then is cooked slowly to perfection, but sometimes you need dinner in a hurry. Last week I had one of those days, so I threw together Lemon Quick Chick, a recipe I've had for ages. I've used it so long that I don't even remember where it came from, but it was probably the newspaper or a magazine.

The thing that takes the longest amount of time is making the starch that it goes over. I like rice the best, but have used mashed potatoes and, for an even shorter cooking time, pasta.

After that cutting up the chicken takes a bit of time, but not much. Often I use chicken breast, which cooks up the fastest, but last week I had boneless chicken thighs, so that's what I used. You want the pieces to be on the smaller side of bite sized because they cook up faster that way.

You will also need a lemon, some chicken broth, a few tablespoons of butter and/or oil and a few tablespoons of flour, plus seasonings like poultry seasoning, pepper, salt, and thyme. I like my lemon chicken on the mellow side, but you could also add some hot sauce if you like more bite.

This is a combination stir-fry and braise. Have everything to hand since it does go pretty quickly.

You end up with a savory dish with a lovely sauce to spoon over rice, potatoes, pasta, etc. Barley would be good, too. I served mine with steamed rice and steamed broccoli. It made a great early spring dinner.

Lemon Quick Chick
Serves 4-6

1 lb chicken, preferably boneless
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 lemon, sliced very thinly

Cut the chicken into small bite sized pieces. (I often use boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs). Set aside.

In a large frying pan heat the butter or margarine and the oil, then saute' the cut up chicken, stirring so that all sides get opaque.

Add the flour and seasonings and stir, then let brown a minute, then stir again and let the mixture brown. Add the chicken broth all at once and, using a wooden spoon or similar implement, scrap up the browned flour/butter bits and stir to incorporate into the sauce. Let cook, stirring, on medium, until the sauce starts to thicken.

Placed the lemon slices around the pan on top of the chicken mixture, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for another 2 minutes. Uncover and serve.

Cranberry Chicken For A Chilly Evening

We finally have gotten a few days of sun, but it's still pretty chilly, so I decided to make a baked chicken dish last night. I found it in a Rachel Ray magazine and it is a keeper! The skinless chicken stays moist under a shingling of bacon, plus the presence of a mixture of chicken broth and red wine. In general I can't drink wine, but I have found that I can eat things where the wine has been cooked. Yay! All the alcohol gets cooked off, but something else must get mellowed, too.

The components, besides the chicken and bacon, are sweet from the dried cranberries, savory from the broth and wine and balsamic vinegar, mellow from the translucent cooked onion wedges, and hearty from the red potato chunks. Add in the flavors of garlic, thyme, pepper and bay leaf and you have a dish that smells wonderful and tastes even better. All you need with it is a small salad or steamed veggies and, perhaps, some bread to sop up the delicious juices.

Because I never make anything quite how it is written up, I did change the chicken to boneless thighs, I added a 1/4 teaspoon fresh orange zest (cranberries  and orange are a match made in heaven), and I reduced the dried cranberries by 1/4 cup...and will reduce them by another 1/4 cup next time. I also didn't have fresh thyme, so I used dried thyme...2 teaspoons in the broth mixture and none for garnish.

There are a number of good reasons to make this dish besides the fact that it is yummy. First of all, it is relatively inexpensive. Then there is the bonus of a short prep time and about 30 minutes cooking time. Add to that the easy clean-up, especially if you line the casserole with heavy duty foil like I did. Last, but not least in my world, there is no dairy in this dish...and you don't miss it either. With no added oil, butter, cheese, or cream, it is fairly healthy, too...well, except for the bacon, but that adds so much flavor and fragrance that it would be a shame to leave it out. Sweetie helped me out by eating half my bacon. Isn't he the best?

Roasted Cranberry Coq au Vin
Serves 4
from Rachael Ray Every Day, March, 2017

1 1/4 cups dried cranberries (I used 1 cup but 3/4 cup would be better)
1 cup red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Beaujolais (I used Zinfandel)
1/2 cup chicken stock
6 large cloves garlic, chopped (don't worry, the garlic gets mellow in the oven)
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons onion salt
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon orange zest
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, divided (I used 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
4 bone-in chicken thighs (about 8 oz. each), skin removed (I used boneless skinless chicken thighs)
1 pound red potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, cut through core into 3/4-inch wedges
4 slices thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon, each cut into 4 pieces
8  1-inch thick slices French bread (didn't have any...didn't miss it)

Position oven rack to upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix the first 7 ingredients and 2 tablespoons thyme (or all the dry thyme if using). Optional, but good: add 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest to the mixture.

In a large baking dish, arrange the chicken, potatoes and onion in a single layer. Shingle the bacon on the chicken. Add the cranberry mixture, pressing cranberries to submerge. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast in preheated 460 degree oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a chicken thigh registers 165 degrees F., about 30 minutes. If using fresh thyme, garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon.

Serve at once. If desired serve with bread to mop up the juices.

Plenty of Peppers - Stuffed

It must be October in Northern California. We have had a string of days where the temperature was well above 90 degrees. So much for fall baking! A week or so ago when it was cooler I made stuffed peppers for dinner and just realized that I never posted the recipe or photos.

The red peppers were beautiful...large, meaty and very fresh. I bought them at the farm stand that was also selling the last of the strawberries, plus lots of melon, tomatoes, beans and squash. The yellow pepper came from a friend's CSA box. It was thinner skinned but delicious, too. The lamb is so local that its from sheep who kept our grass down early this spring, another gift from our great-hearted neighbors.

The filling started with sauteed onion, carrot and celery. To that I added both cooked brown rice and fresh corn, cut from the cob, plus some salty feta cheese. A robust flavor was added by using browned ground lamb, fresh rosemary, minced garlic, and dried thyme. I moistened the mixture with a little chicken broth I had in the fridge. It made a wonderful filling for the peppers, bringing out the peppers sweetness and warm flavors. I put the filling that wouldn't fit in the peppers into a greased baking dish and cooked it along with the peppers. It made an outstanding lunch for Sweetie the next day.

He could really use a satisfying lunch because this was just about the time that we had discovered the results of a small, long-term leak in one of our pipes. It has taken almost two weeks to do the repair, but on Friday I should be able to paint the new drywall. After that we can install the last of the new flooring and take a break from construction for a while.

Maybe we'll get cool weather to turn the leaves autumn colors. That's a wonderful time to take a ride in the country and check out all the gold and red and burgundy leaves. Of course what we really want is rain. Wishing for a very rainy winter, but I do hope you get to enjoy fall color if you live where there is some.

Lamb Stuffed Peppers
Serves 4

4 medium to large bell peppers (I like red and yellow and orange, but green is OK, too)
1 tablespoon olive or grapeseed oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
1 small carrot, sliced into thin coins
1 pound ground lamb, browned and drained
1 1/2 cups cooked and cooled brown rice
1 ear corn, steamed 5 minutes, then cooled; corn cut from cob
1/4 cup feta cheese, in small crumble
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
S & P
1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken broth
about 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

Wash the peppers and remove the stem end and the core, plus all the seeds. Cut in half. (I like to cut from the stem to the bottom, but some people like to cut through the middle and set the stem end as a bottom. Make sure that the halves are not tippy. Cut off a bit of the outside of the pepper if needed. Set peppers aside.

In a skillet, saute the onion, celery and carrot in the grapeseed oil. Cook, over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onion is transluscent, about 5 minutes. Turn mixture into a large bowl and add the cooked lamb, cooked rice, corn, feta, chopped rosemary, chopped garlic, and dried thyme. If desired, add salt and pepper to taste. Add enough chicken broth to moisten the mixture.

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment, or a silicon baking mat. Arrange the pepper halves on the pan. Stuff each half with the lamb mixture, mounding in the center. Sprinkle with a touch of cayenne pepper. If there is left over stuffing mixture, place in a greased small baking dish to bake along with the peppers.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 20 minutes. Peppers will be softened and stuffing mixture will be hot and a little browned.

Serve at once. Refrigerate any leftovers, or baked leftover stuffing mixture.

A Potluck Dish I Love

In just a little over a week I'll be off to my Mom's on the East Coast to help celebrate a significant birthday of hers. It's very exciting because all of my siblings will be there as well as some of the spouses and kids and grandkids. I'm really looking forward to seeing them all, and to seeing Mom's sisters and their extended families. I think the last time we had so many of us together was ten years ago for another birthday. Since we are scattered all over the country, it might be years before we gather again.

One of the things planned is a potluck picnic by the Potomac river on Sunday. I'll be making a wild rice/brown rice and baby carrots casserole with herbs to bring. I made it many years ago for one of the Derby Day pot lucks and tried it out for dinner last week. It went really quickly at the Derby Day potluck and Charlie gave it his stamp of approval, too, last week. It’s easy to fix, delicious, and vegan if made with vegetable broth, but mostly I’m making it because I like to eat it.

I'm starting with a rice mixture sold in a box because it is designed to have the different rices cooked together. I'll skip the seasoning packet (with usually has way too much sodium) and instead add some onion and celery, Italian parsley and thyme, a touch of orange juice, plus a bit of salt and lots of pepper. I looked at some recipes online, but didn't find anything where the rice and carrots cook at the same time. I know when I made it years ago I cooked the wild rice separately and then mixed it in once the other rice was cooked, but the packaged mixture didn't need that. It's pretty simple actually: Onions sautéed in a little olive oil, rice mixture stirred in, carrots cut into chunks stirred in, herbs and orange juice stirred in, S&P over all, then the broth. I brought it all to a boil, reduced the heat to simmer, then covered it and let it cook until the rice was cooked. By that time the carrots were perfectly cooked, too with just a bit of bite still to them. I like it warm, but it would probably taste fine cold. It was even delicious a day later, maybe even better. Dishes with cooked onions often taste better then next day.

May is usually filled with lots of occasions for gathering together of family and friends, so you may want to bookmark this for a quick dish to bring or serve at your party.

Wild and Brown Rice with Carrots and Herbs

1/2 medium to large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil or grapeseed oil
1 package wild and brown rice mix (discard the seasoning packet)
1 1/2 cups baby carrots or larger carrots cut into approximately 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian (flat leaf) parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
the juice of 1/2 a medium orange
salt and pepper to taste
1 can broth, either chicken or vegetable

In a wide, flat skillet or pan with a lid, sauté the onion and celery in the olive oil until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the wild and brown rice, the carrots, the parsley, the thyme and the orange juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the mixture the broth.

Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, then cover and let cook until rice is cooked and most of liquid is evaporated, about 25 - 30 minutes. If desired you can remove the lid, increase the heat, and let more of the liquid evaporate for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the rice mixture from scorching.

Serve warm or at room temperature. If made with chicken broth, keep chilled once mixture has cooled.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Farm Box Fun

At the home show about a month ago I signed up for delivery every other week of a box of fruits and veggies. The company is called Farm Fresh to You and they deliver from the Sacramento area. I will probably cancel once my own veggies start coming in, but for now it is encouraging me to eat more whole foods. The produce is wonderfully fresh, organic, abundant and delicious. Over the weekend I made both a veggie quiche and some chicken soup chock full of vegetables. Yesterday's lunch included a handful of small Nantes carrots. They were crisp and sweet and so good. Yesterday we enjoyed the broccoli from the box and tonight we are having stir-fry which will include some red peppers, onions, and asparagus, the latter two from the box. I've also been eating some very juicy tangerines from the box as well as navel oranges. We still are shopping at the market for our melons and garlic and potatoes, but it really is nice to have really fresh produce right on hand to inspire me.

Sweetie continues to heal and he and I have become very expert at doing the dressing changes. He still has about another 4 weeks before he can play tennis but we are grateful that he did no long-term damage.

Still playing with kitchen designs and researching appliances. Do any of you dear readers have experience with Samsung gas ranges or with their refrigerators or dishwashers? How about Bertazonni?

For now I'm having fun with my current kitchen and appliances. This baking spree over the weekend was the first time since mid-January that I really wanted to cook and bake. There will be a new bread showing up here on the 16th. I'm looking forward to playing with yeast dough again!

Here is the quiche recipe. It is just a variation of my usual one. If you use evaporated milk as I do, be sure to shake it well before opening. I forgot to do that this time and it took some doing to get it all mixed up in the bowl (which also had the eggs in it). I think this is the perfect quiche for the spring...savory, flaky, full of asparagus and onions and cheese. Now I want another slice...and it's all gone. It went so fast that I didn't really get great photos...but if you make one yourself you can see how beautiful it looks with the green asparagus spears on top.

Spring Quiche with Asparagus and Swiss Cheese and OnionServes 4 - 6

1 9-inch pie shell, blind baked at 425 degrees F for 10-12 minutes (recipe follows)
1/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup Swiss cheese, cut into ¼ inch dice
3 eggs (or equivalent egg substitute)
1 ½ cups evaporated milk (I used non-fat) or light cream
¼ teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
dash pepper
Dash nutmeg
2-3 spears asparagus, tough bottoms trimmed off and sliced in half through the length of the spear
1 - 2 large mushrooms, sliced thinly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small skillet, saute the onion and celery in the olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring often.

Sprinkle the bottom of the pie shell with the sauteed onion/celery mixture and Swiss cheese, distributing evenly. Set aside.

In a bowl, beat the eggs lightly, then add the milk and beat with a fork to combine, add the salt, thyme, pepper and nutmeg and beat with a fork or whisk to combine.

Arrange the half asparagus spears in a nice pattern on top of the onions and cheese in the pie shell. Place the mushroom slices near them where space permits between the spears.

Pour the egg/milk mixture over the ingredients in the pie shell. Place in the preheated oven and bake 30-45 minutes, or until set and lightly browned. I find that setting on a parchment-lined small baking sheet is a good idea in case some of the filling spills over. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.


Pastry Pie Shell

1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chilled butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons ice water
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender, or two knives, until particles the size of dried peas are formed.

In a small bowl mix together the egg, ice water and lemon juice (if using). Sprinkle over the flour mixture and toss with a fork lightly. Do not over mix. Gather the particles together in a ball. Wrap airtight and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes. Roll out with a rolling pin on a floured surface until large enough to fill a 9 inch pie pan with some overlap.

Fit into a 9 inch pie pan, smooth to fit, trip excess , tuck edges under and crimp as for any pie crust. Prick lightly all over the surface with a fork. Freeze 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and cover with a circle of parchment paper or foil. Fill the paper with beans or pie weights (blind baking the crust).

Bake at 425 degrees F for 10 – 12 minutes. Cool slightly. Remove and save the beans or pie weights. Fill with filling as called for in recipes needing a pie shell.

Tip: If you use a pound of dried beans as pie weights as I do, save them once they have cooled off and you can use them again and again as pie weights...just don't plan on cooking them to eat. At about a dollar and a half for a bag of dried beans, it sure beats the almost $9 you would pay for Pie Weights from King Arthur or a similar amount at Sur la Table.

Pork Yumminess for a Cold Night

Sometimes things just come together. The plants go in the ground just before a gentle rain falls, followed by warmth and sunshine, so they grow well from the start. A job opens up after months of not much interest when resumes were sent, then housing nearby is easy to find and the move happens just before a big snowfall. Requests for a speaker for an important meeting fall through and then, at the last minute, you get a 'yes' from the speaker you wanted the most. Things like that brighten you day, week or month.

Today things came together on the dinner front. I knew we had some boneless pork that needed to be cooked, I had a yen for polenta, inspection of the produce bin showed that we had both fresh mushrooms and baby spinach. After that it was just a matter of remembering other dishes that were good and borrowing from them. Sautéed onion, mushrooms, celery and garlic can be the base for any number of delicious savory meals. Sage and thyme go so well with pork and with mushrooms.

Julia Child often threw some orange peel into this kind of braised meat dish, so why not this one? Ditto with the red wine and touch of tomato sauce. My mom's stew recipe uses Worcestershire so I added some of that, too, plus a bit of leftover chicken broth to keep the meat submerged in liquid as it braised.

I've always loved polenta with a little Parmesan cheese added and I know that this sort of hearty braised meat goes well with polenta. The spinach? It was the thing that pulled it all together, plus the bright green color is so appealing.

Have fun with this. The wine could be replaced with beer, ale or stout, or even white wine. The fresh mushrooms could be replaced with dried and reconstituted ones. Add more garlic, skip the orange peel, replace the celery with fennel. I'm sure you will still have a wonderful dish that will warm you up on a cold night as it did Sweetie and Elle.


Pork Ragout with Spinach over Polenta

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 lbs boneless pork (I used country rib meat), cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried orange peel or a 1-inch by 2-inch piece of fresh orange peel minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
Polenta for 2 - 4 people
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups baby spinach leaves, rinsed and drained

In a large, heavy bottomed ovenproof pot heat 1-2 tablespoons of the olive oil and saute' the onions, mushrooms, celery and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring often.

While vegetables are cooking, heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Blot the meat cubes if necessary. Dry meat browns better than cubes with moisture one them. Brown the pork cubes on all sides, working with about 1/4 of the meat at a time. As the pork finishes browning, transfer to the vegetable pot.

To the vegetables and pork add the sage, thyme, orange peel, salt and pepper, red wine, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and chicken broth. Cover the pot and place over medium heat on the stove top while you preheat the oven.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. When oven is hot remove the pot of pork and vegetables from the heat and put it into the oven, still covered. Cook for 1 hour, checking in the last 15 minutes to make sure there is still enough liquid so that the contents don't burn.

When the pork has about 15 minutes left, prepare polenta according to the package directions. When cooked stir in the Parmesan cheese.

When the polenta is almost done, remove the pot from the oven, stir in the spinach, and set aside, covered for 2-3 minutes to wilt the spinach. Serve the pork and vegetable mixture over the polenta in wide bowls. Garnish with more grated Parmesan if desired. Serves 2- 4

The Apricot Jam Plays Well With the Pork

Sometimes in winter the cold weather outside encourages us to be in the kitchen and play, spinning out the hours in the warmth and delicious smells as we try out new recipes or re-visit cherished ones. But what happens when it is warm out and sunny?

Here in Northern California we are praying for rain because this has been a pretty dry 'rainy season' so far. While it can be nice to be able to sit outside at lunch time in the sun, it is unsettling to know that without some rain I may have to curtail what I grow in the garden this spring and my bay area neighbors may run out of drinking water. So the answer is to hope for rain and... we end up needing a quick dinner because there have been 'better' things to do than be in the kitchen.

I found pork tenderloin on sale at the market so I was able to pull together a super quick meal because the whole cooking process takes about 35 minutes and for 20 of that you can be making a salad and/or side dish. It's the apricot jam that makes this dish sing! We were gifted anonymously on Boxing Day with the most lovely jar of home-made apricot jam. It was the perfect thing for this dish, although I would imagine that any apricot jam would be OK. I loved that this one wasn't too sweet and had a wonderful apricot fragrance. Many thanks to the donor...and I hope I find out who it was so I can thank you properly.



I also included some of the lovely roast garlic and a bit of white wine in the sauce for an added depth of flavor. If you don't have those the sauce will be fine without it.

Apricot Pork Tenderloin with Apricot-Roasted Garlic Sauce
based on a recipe in Simply Suppers by Jennifer Chandler

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 1/4 lbs, trimmed
Salt & pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup apricot preserves, divided
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 - 2 cloves roasted garlic, mashed
1 tablespoon dry white wine (optional)

Rinse the pork tenderloin and pat it dry with paper towels. Generously season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the olive oil in a large cast-iron or ovenproof skillet and heat over medium-high heat until sizzling. Sear the tenderloin until well-browned on all four sides, about 3 minutes per side. Brush 3/4 cup of the apricot preserves over the top and place the pan in the oven to finish cooking the tenderloin, about 15 - 20 minutes. Cook to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees. Mine was at 165 degrees and was still quite pink in the middle.

Transfer the cooked tenderloin to a cutting board with a well. Cover loosely with foil and let the pork rest about 5 minutes.

While the pork is resting pour the pan drippings out of the pan and discard the oil. Add the water to the pan. Over high heat bring the water to a boil. Stir with a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup apricot preserves, the thyme and the roasted garlic (and wine if using). Taste and season as needed with salt and pepper. Simmer another 2 minutes to melt the preserves into the sauce and meld the flavors.

Thinly slice the tenderloin and serve slices with the sauce spooned over the top.
Serves 4

First Garlic Now Onions

It must be strong flavors month. The phenomenal garlic bread that the Bread Baking Babes baked this month was such a treat that when I saw this Onion Tart with Honey in an issue of Bon Appetit it was a irresistible draw. Who can resist warm, flaky puff pastry, tangy creme fraiche, a bit of nutmeg and thyme, crumbled bacon and ooodles of caramelized onions soaked in honey and wine? Not me.

Since Sweetie and I don't usually indulge in this sort of thing as a twosome, it was provident that we were invited to a birthday party and asked to bring the appetizer. Our hostess even warmed it slightly just before serving. It was a huge hit. In record time every morsel was eaten and we all wanted more. Next time I'm making two batches. The tart almost outshone the delicious marinated grilled lamb and fresh corn salad that were the highlights of dinner, but not quite, at least for me because I just love lamb!

One of the appeals of this tart is the way the sweetness of the onions and honey plays off the saltiness of the bacon. Another is the nice mix of textures with the delicate but crisp puff pastry and the gooey chewiness of the onions. If you use ready made puff pastry and pre-cook the onion mixture as I did, the whole thing comes together fairly quickly. Next time I plan on using the food processor to slice the onions and to make at least two recipes' worth so that I can make two tarts or so that I can freeze the onion mixture to make a tart at another time. Wouldn't that be a nice thing to have in the freezer so that you could create a party worthy appetizer in record time? Totally yum!

Honey-Roasted Onion Tart
February 2011 Bon Appetit magazine

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-oz. package), thawed

3 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup dry white wine
2-3 large sweet yellow onions (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3/4 cup creme fraiche
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Few sprigs fresh thyme leaves

Using lightly floured rolling pin, roll out puff pastry on lightly flour surface to 14 x 10-inch rectangle. Fold 1/2 inch of pastry edges in toward center on all sides, forming 13 x 9-inch rectangle. Transfer pastry to large rimmed baking sheet. Press firmly on pastry edges with fork to form rim. Chill crust.

Cook bacon in small skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp. Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 375 degrees F while bacon is cooking. Transfer crisp bacon to paper towels to drain. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings from skillet.

Whisk honey, wine and reserved 1 tablespoon bacon drippings in large bowl. Add onions; toss to coat. Coat another large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Spread onion mixture in even layer on sheet. Roast 30 minutes. Turn onions over, allowing rings to separate. Roast until onions are caramelized, turning often for even browning, 30 to 45 minutes. (I cooked them until the least colored ones were pale gold, which meant that some edges were charred, but mostly the mass of onions was medium gold, not darker because they will still be browning while tart cooks later.) cool onions slightly. (At this point, and without leaving the oven on, I refrigerated the onion mixture, then brought it back to room temperature the next day for the baking part.)

Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Mix creme fraiche, sea salt,nutmeg and dried thyme in small bowl. Using offset spatula, spread creme fraiche mixture over crust almost to the folded edge. Arrange onions atop creme fraiche. Sprinkle with bacon. Bake tart until crust is light golden brown and topping is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and serve.

Makes about 6 appetizer servings.

Savory and Blueberry

Although strawberries continue to be a daily fruit that brings so much enjoyment, let's hear it for blueberries, just now finding their way to market at a reasonable price.

Lately we hear a lot about the wonderful health benefits of blueberries, but, really, isn't it the intense and sweet tart flavor that brings us back for more?

When I was a kid the usual way to enjoy blueberries was with cream, with cereal and milk, in pancakes and muffins and in pies. These days people are more willing to experiment with this versatile fruit.

I saw a recipe a while back in Bon Appetit magazine (winter of 2007) for game hens cooked with a cranberry sauce. It was very appealing but I never actually made the recipe. Today I decided to see if I could change it up so that I could use fresh blueberries instead, plus other things that I already had in my freezer and pantry. As usual I made a lot of changes...whoever created their recipe wouldn't even recognize it if they look at mine.

Since I am very comfortable with recipe substitutions in baking and less so in cooking when it is this sort of recipe (a savory recipe with fruit is still pretty new territory for me) I'm declaring this one of my High Five recipes.

I felt a bit of trepidation that this would be icky sweet or too fruity for dinner or something, but after I added the pinch of cayenne, it all came together and was wonderful!

The combination of lemon thyme, lemon and blueberry flavors worked so well with the chicken. The brown sugar and jam and lemonade were sweet, but the broth, thyme, and chicken were savory and the hint of heat from the cayenne kept them all friendly. I found that the lemon thyme was less assertive than regular thyme, so I added some dried thyme to reinforce that flavor note. It was great to bite into the warm chicken with sauce and feel the warm blueberry release its juices in my mouth, too. Sort of startling, too because usually that blueberry burst comes with muffin or pancake sweetness as well. Blueberry and savory go together well. I'll be making this recipe again.


Chicken Thighs with Double Blueberry Lemon Thyme Sauce

3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided (I used lemon thyme)
½ teaspoon dried thyme
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (but OK to use ones with skin on if that’s what you have)
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
½ cup lemonade
zest of one lemon – yellow part only
juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons blueberry jam or fruit spread
pinch cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen, not thawed)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty foil and have a matching piece ready to cover everything with.

Blend 2 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme in a bowl. Sprinkle chicken thighs with pepper. (I rinsed and dried the chicken thighs first.) Spread some of the butter mixture over each thigh on one side only.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the thighs, butter side down. Let cook for 4 minutes, then turn and sear for one more minute. Remove to the prepared baking sheet. Retain the mixture in the skillet and set aside. Cover the baking pan with the extra piece of foil and bake the chicken thighs in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until juice run clear when pierced with a fork.

While the chicken is cooking prepare the sauce. In a small bowl blend the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the 1 tablespoon of flour to make a paste. Set aside.

Add the broth, lemonade, lemon zest and juice blueberry jam , the rest of the thyme, the dried thyme and the cayenne pepper to the skillet with the browned bits still in it. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits and mix them with the other sauce ingredients. Stir over high heat and boil until the sauce is reduced by 1/3. Whisk in the flour mixture and cook for 2 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Add the blueberries and stir to combine with sauce. Lower heat and simmer for a few minutes to warm the berries. Taste and correct for seasonings with salt and pepper.

When the chicken is finished cooking, remove from the baking sheet and place each piece in the sauce, turning over to nap both sides with the sauce. Repeat until all chicken pieces are in the skillet. Serve while hot, making sure to include some of the sauce and berries in each serving.

I served mine with mixed vegetables and orzo pasta. Delicious!
Serves 3-6

The Cozy Cat and Harvest Dinner

Our cat Merlin always finds the most comfortable places to be. On cold rainy days he secures the comfy cozy chair right by the fire, or snuggles into the pillow on the computer chair which is protected from drafts on all sides by the l-shaped desk.

When it is sunny but cool he can be found in the sunspace, usually upstairs on a fuzzy comforter, soaking up the sun. If the day is warm he find not only the shady spot but the one with any breeze that can be found. It's tough wearing an elegant gray fur coat when the weather is warm.

On Friday I was folding wash and saw him outside on the back porch in an unusual place. Before the storm earlier in the week I had moved a couple of decorative lanterns from the shelf on the potting bench to the bench top so they wouldn't be toppled by the wind. Now that the shelf was completely empty, Merlin decided that it made the perfect place to nap since it was in the shade and caught the afternoon breeze. I slipped around the side of the house with my camera at the ready, crept up the deck steps and surprised him. He woke up immediately, but I got some cute photos.


While Merlin snoozed, I took advantage of the soaking rain from earlier in the week. It really loosened up the soil and made cleaning up the garden much easier.

Out went the spent zucchini plants, the old, dried up bachelor button plants and daises. I pulled up the plants that had done so surprisingly well in that plastic sack of potting soil and found the gopher run underneath and the place where the gopher had gotten tired of chewing on an old, hard shelled piece of zucchini and left it in the run. The gopher had also chewed a nice sized hole in the bottom of the sack. Thank heavens that I had plenty of plants to go around this year...some for me, some for the gophers.

As I went through cleaning up and weeding, I harvested some of the late season veggies. There were tomatoes, tiny zucchini - both yellow and green - and a decent sized light green one. There were pale purple eggplant shaped like eggs and dark purple skinned ones, like dark teardrops, plus one white one that was sort of round and squat.

Later in the afternoon I decided to make a harvest dinner using those smaller veggies, plus a squash that I had purchased at the local farm stand. I thawed some boneless, skinless chicken thighs out and found a container of small onions, already peeled and ready to cook with.

The first veggies to go under the knife were the eggplant varieties. The dark ones were peeled and the rest lost the top and stem and then were sliced and cut in half. Since they were all pretty small that was all that was needed. I roasted them with garlic, fresh oregano, dried rosemary and fresh basil and Sweetie took a taste and said that they were good. Since I'm not fond of eggplant I took his word for it.

Next I peeled the hard squash and removed the seeds and membranes from each half.

The slices looked like half moons and when cooked they were velvety in texture and quite delicious. The zucchini were treated differently depending on size. The light green on was cut into chunks, the medium yellow one was cut into rounds and the two tiny ones were just cut in half lengthwise.

These were roasted after being flavored with thyme, pepper and fresh marjoram.

The chicken pieces were browned in vegetable oil, then I added four cloves of minced garlic and cooked that gently for a few minutes until very lightly browned. Chicken stock, thyme, the baby onions, cardamom and chopped apricots, plus salt and pepper made for a savory sauce and succulent chicken.

The last part of the dinner was steamed rice which captured the pan sauce and helped tie the various flavors together. On the plate the mellow green and golden colors reminded me of the grape vines we had seen in the morning after walking the dog. Fall is here and the harvest is winding down.

I feel fortunate to have had so many wonderful garden veggies this spring and summer and I'll surely miss them as we head into winter, but it was good to tidy up the garden a bit, too. There are still plenty of green tomatoes and a couple of zucchini plants still producing squash. The Swiss chard are colorful and happy with the cooler weather and now I can appreciate the shapes and colors of the planting more with fewer plants taking up space. Time to start planning what seeds I want for next year.

Harvest Dinner

Amounts are approximate because the veggies went straight from the garden to the railing to the kitchen and never were weighed.

Eggplant:

About a pound of eggplants
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1-2 teaspoon(s) fresh oregano or marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
salt to taste
about 2 tablespoons olive oil

Wash the eggplant and peel any dark skinned ones. Remove the stem end and any soft spots. Cut in half and slice in 1/2 inch thick slices. Place eggplant slices, garlic slices, basil, oregano, rosemary, pepper and salt and olive oil in a large plastic bag. Close bag and shake to combine all the ingredients.

Line a baking pan (I used an 8-inch square baking pan like you use for brownies) with heavy foil and place the eggplant mixture in it. Roast in a preheated 425 degree F oven for 20 -25 minutes or until browned on the edges, but not burnt. Keep warm or reheat right before serving.

Squash:

About 3/4 pound mixed squash. I used a squash that had green and gold stripes and it was similar to a pumpkin. You could use acorn, hubbard, butternut or similar hard shelled squash for about half the squash and zucchini, pattypan, or similar summer squash for the rest.

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon fresh marjoram
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Peel the hard shelled squash, remove all seeds and membranes, then cut in thin slices or chunks
Remove the ends of the summer squash and slice or cut in chunks.

Place the squash pieces, thyme, marjoram, pepper and the olive oil in a large plastic bag. Close the bag and shake to completely combine the ingredients (you can re-use the bag you used for the eggplant if you like).

Line a baking pan with heavy duty foil, place the squash mixture in it and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until the hard shelled squash is tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Keep warm or reheat at serving time.

Chicken with Onions, Garlic and Apricots

5-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup small onions, peeled and par-boiled if fresh (I used thawed frozen ones which are ready to use)
1/4 cup dried apricots, cut in small dice
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the chicken under cold water and pat dry with towel. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy bottomed skillet. Brown the chicken on all sides, then remove and keep warm. Add the garlic and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until very lightly browned. Do not burn or cook to dark brown. If necessary, you can add a little more oil for cooking the garlic.

Add the chicken broth and use a non-stick or wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the onions and apricots and stir to combine the mixture. Sprinkle the thyme and cardamom over the chicken pieces. Add salt and pepper to taste. Check the stock. It should come about half way up the chicken pieces. If it is lower add some water or more stock. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes, until chicken is very tender.

While chicken is cooking, steam a cup of raw rice in your favorite manner. I used up the rest of the chicken broth from the can as part of the rice cooking liquid, but the sauce is so flavorful, just water is fine for cooking the rice.

To serve, place some of the rice on the plate. Add one or two pieces of the chicken. Spoon the onions and some sauce over the chicken and the rice. Spoon on generous servings of the eggplant and squash mixtures. Serve while still nice and hot. Serves 3-4.

Inspired by Julia Child

Ever since seeing the movie Julie/Julia, I've been wanting to make Boeuf Bourguignon, but it is a dish that is most fun shared with friends over glasses of red wine. This past weekend we enjoyed the company of our relations from Sweetie's side of the family, including little C, a lover of model trains just like Sweetie. It gave me the excuse I needed to immerse myself in Julia Child's wonderful recipe. Since I was using California Cabernet Sauvignon instead of a burgundy, I'm calling it Boeuf au Vin Rouge. Most of the recipe is straight out of her book, From Julia Child's Kitchen, although I did the tiny onions my own way and I did include the chopped onions from the simple beef stew recipe.

I highly recommend that you make this dish if you enjoy beef. It is perfect for company since it makes a quantity of stew and you can make it ahead (it's actually best that way), plus it is impressive with it's richness and delightful combination of meat, mushrooms, onions and herbs. It looks like a long recipe, but that is because Julia leaves nothing to chance...she wants you to be successful and tells you how to do each step. If you can brown beef and cut onions and mushrooms, you can make this!

Boeuf au Vin Rouge – Beef in Red Wine
Based on Boeuf Bourguignon in From Julia Child’s Kitchen
Serves 6-8

3 – 4 lbs beef stew meat cut into either 2-inch squares or 3- by 1/1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
3 cups drinkable red wine…I used a nice California Cabernet Sauvignon
2 or more cups good beef stock
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
a 2 inch piece of dried orange peel
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 or more cloves garlic
salt and pepper as needed
The onions – 1 10 oz bag frozen small onions (see note below)
The mushrooms – ½ lb or more whole fresh white mushrooms – I used almost a pound, because we like mushrooms
Beurre manie’ for the final sauce: 3 tablespoons flour blended with 2 ½ tablespoons butter

Dry beef with paper towels. Film a large, heavy frying pan with 1/16 inch oil and heat to very hot but not smoking. Add the pieces of beef, as many as will fit in 1 layer without crowding them. Brown nicely on all sides, regulating the heat so fat is always very hot but not smoking. Add more oil as needed. As each piece of meat if browned, transfer it to a heavy to 5 quart casserole with a cover. Continue browning beef and removing browned beef to casserole until all pieces are browned.

Stir the onions into oil left in the pan (add more if needed) and brown briefly, then transfer to the casserole. Discard any browned fat. Pour a cup of wine or stock into the pan, bring to simmer, scraping up coagulated browning juices, and pour this liquid over the beef in the casserole.

Set the casserole over heat; add the wine and enough stock barely to cover the meat. Add the bay, thyme, orange peel, tomato paste and garlic clove which have been cut in half. Bring to a simmer, taste, and salt lightly if necessary. Cover and cook at a slow simmer either on top of the stove or in the oven. (For oven cooking, start at 350 degrees, then lower heat in 20 – 30 minutes to 325 or even 300 degrees.

Simmer approximately 1 ½ - 2 hours unless your meat is shank or heel meat, which will take longer. The beef should be tender enough for a pleasant chew, but not be falling apart.

While the beef is simmering prepare the onions and mushrooms:
I used bagged, frozen small onions which have already been peeled. If you want to go with fresh onions, e-mail me and I’ll give you those directions.

Bring ½ inch of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add one piece of bacon, cut into rectangles and simmer for 1 minute. Add the frozen onions and cover. Simmer for another minute. Turn off the heat and let sit, covered, for 3 minutes. Pour the onions and the cooking liquid into a large bowl.

Trim off dry or sandy stem ends, wash the mushrooms thoroughly but rapidly, and dry in a towel. Leave whole if ¾ inch across or less. If larger quarter them lengthwise. Film the frying pan with 1/16 inch oil and heat to very hot but not smoking. Add enough mushroom to cover the bottom of the pan and shake pan by the handle to toss the mushrooms about for 2 – 3 minutes until mushrooms are lightly browned. Add them to the bowl with the cooked onions, then continue until all the mushrooms are browned.

When the beef is tender, set a large colander over a saucepan and pour contents of casserole into colander. Wash out casserole and return the meat to it. Press juices out of remains in colander, and discard residue. Make sure that you have removed the bay leaf and discarded it.

Skim fat off cooking liquid in saucepan, and taste liquid carefully for strength and seasoning. You should have about 3 cups of delicious meaty rich stock. Boil down rapidly in the saucepan if weak, to concentrate flavor, adding a bit more stock or bouillon or wine, herbs, garlic, or tomato paste if you feel them necessary.

Remove from heat, blend the beurre manie’ into the liquid with a wire whisk. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring, as it thickens into a light sauce. Check for seasonings.

Add the onions and mushroom mixture to the beef in the casserole. Pour the sauce over it all and simmer 5 – 6 minutes, basting meat and vegetables with the sauce to blend flavors.

The dish is now ready to serve, but the flavor improves if you stop at this point and refrigerate it overnight, then re-heat it over gentle heat the next day.

Serve with rice or noodles, perhaps garnished with chopped parsley. Have some good bread on hand to mop up the sauce. You can serve from the casserole, or mound the meat and vegetables and sauce on a platter and surround with the rice or noodles.

I used a large patter with raised sides and served the boeuf with steamed rice. It was delicious and well worth the time. I had some leftovers tonight and it was even better than two nights ago, so you could make this three or four days in advance of serving and know that it will be even more delightful that way.

There is nothing really difficult about this dish, it just takes some time to cut up and brown all that meat, then do the same with some onions and lots of mushrooms. Simmering takes time, but you really can do it in advance. Making the sauce takes about 15 minutes or less. The rich flavors make this a very impressive dish. If you serve it to guests they will think that you slaved over a hot stove for much longer than you did. You can also freeze this, although I would only freeze the meat, chopped onions, and sauce and add the mushrooms and tiny onions the day you plan on serving the dish.

Keep accompaniments simple…a nice green salad, cooked rice or noodles, some steamed peas, some good bread, and more red wine are all you need. “Bon appétit!”, as Julia would say.