Stew Archives - Kitchen Conundrum

French Fridays: Belgian Beef Stew with Beer and Spice Bread – David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen

March 19, 2016 by Renee

Carbonnade flamande au pain d’épice

This recipe could not have come at a better time. We’ve been experiencing some fabulously warm weather here in NYC the past few weeks, but alas, this weekend, to celebrate the Spring Equinox, a dip in the thermometer and another snowfall is in the forecast. The heat in my house has been turned back on and all the windows are tightly closed. So it’s only apropos that we recreate this hearty stew on this last, cold weekend of winter.

Beef carbonnade is popular in Belgium and in the north of France where the winters are long and the ales are plentiful. The “winter warmer” beers are brewed to be stronger, richer and more full-bodied and taste great when you are curled up next to a roaring fire while you are wrapped in your snuggliest blanket or here, where it’s used to slowly braise a piece of meat into tamed tenderness.

The crucial choice will be, of course, which beer or ale you choose to use for your carbonnade. The variety will really transform the character of the dish depending on the beer’s profile. Needless to say, a good Belgian ale, perhaps of the Trappist variety, such as Chimay, would really be the best choice, but another, with good character, particularly an amber ale, will work just as well.

The distinctive feature of this dish is the spice bread coated with a thin layer of mustard (I used Maille Dijon, of course) that is used to flavor and thicken the sauce. Using the French classic, pain d’épices, a deeply-infused bread spiced with cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and honey, it’s reminiscent of gingerbread or Lekach, a honey-cake, and is intensely aromatic. The bread’s distinctive flavor improves with an overnight rest, giving the flavors time to mellow.

As the dish cooks, the bread breaks down and melts into the braising liquid, providing a thick, rich and slightly sweet and sour sauce that clings to the tender hunks of beef.

While the stew is simmering, during its last hour, you have just enough time to make a batch of herbed fresh pasta to go alongside.

Get the recipes for Belgian Beef Stew with Beer & Spice Bread on pages 198 and 293 of My Paris Kitchen. The herbed fresh pasta can be found on page 230.

For details on recreating these recipes, check out the CookTheBookFridays site and see others who are also cooking the book-

You can also buy the book here:

 </p> <p>

Follow the group on Twitter @ctbfridays

#cookthebookfridays #mypariskitchen

Visit the Facebook Page: Cook The Book Fridays

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links to my Amazon Associate’s account. This means I receive compensation if you make a purchase using these links.

Garbure From the Supermarket – French Friday’s with Dorie

March 2, 2014 by Renee

Garbure from the Supermarket is the title of this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe. While Garbure is essentially a French peasant stew made with ham, sausage and loaded with root vegetables, beans and cabbage, this hearty white bean stew is enriched with duck confit. Thankfully, there is a large “gourmet” supermarket nearby, as my local supermarket most certainly does not carry duck confit. I always find it interesting that the lowliest of dishes that was once a staple among peasantry has become gourmet fare. Of course, I can understand why- it’s satisfying and delicious! Perfect on a cold day or if you need to feed many hungry people.

Garbure originated in Gascony in southwestern France, and very closely resembles potée and pot-au-feu. You could almost imagine how each Gascon household had their own recipe, adjusting for the mix of vegetables they had harvested or the meat they had preserved.

Interestingly, the area of Gascony itself is well known for its wine and food-its home to foie gras and Armagnac brandy. It’s also known for it’s Basque influence. One of the ingredients on this recipe’s list, Piment d’Espelette, is an AOC chili pepper that is cultivated in the commune of Espelette. The pepper is harvested in late summer and can be seen hanging on balconies, sheds and house walls throughout the communes to dry out. I thought I had a photo of some of them from my Camino to share, but it turns out that of the over 5k photos, not one was of the peppers I saw hanging (at least not in the batch I looked through!). I realize now that I should have bought a jar there but I actually bought my jar of Piment d’Espelette here. Add it to the list of items I need to bring back in my suitcase next time!

This stew was just as fulfilling and appetizing as you’d expect and I am sure it will get better as the week goes on. Which is a good thing, because I have just a few bowls left over. The full recipe feeds 10!

While I cannot share this recipe, you can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. It’s great fun! Every Friday we make a new recipe. Looking forward to next weeks! For details and to see how others are recreating the dishes from this awesome book, check out the FFWD site.

Buy the book:

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

November 24, 2013 by Renee

It’s near 20 degrees in NYC today and the girls and I spent the day in the city at a blogging holiday party. We had tons of fun and afterwards, we wandered up Fifth Avenue to check out the holiday windows of the large department stores. They are always so lovely! But sadly, the cold was just too much for us and we had to call it quits before we turned into ice pops.

We made our way back to Penn Station and headed home shivering the entire time!

The best cure for cold weather is serious comfort food. Knowing that we are having roast turkey and mashed potatoes later in the week, we opted for a stew instead. But I didn’t want beef. Chicken and Dumplings seemed to be the perfect next choice and it was!

My aunt, in North Carolina, made the best Chicken and Dumplings growing up. She is a real down home, Southern kind of a lady and makes everyone feel welcome the moment they arrive, sweet tea in hand. Not only was her fried chicken the best, but the homemade bacon that they cured in their smokehouse was out of this world and I have never had better. But the real treat was her Chicken & Dumplings. I remember how she rolled out her dumplings thin and cut them like pasta rather than dropping balls of dough by spoonfuls into a boiling cauldron of chicken stock. The result was a hearty stew with bite fulls of dense, dough, creamy sauce and chunks of herbed chicken. A very filling and a very comforting bowl.

I don’t have her recipe but I’ve been making them this way for years and they are reminiscent of the ones she made. I may not remember or know if they are as good as hers, but my family loves them and a 6.3 quart French Oven yielded just enough tonight that there was only one small bowl left over. But next time, I’ll have to make more dumplings- because that’s the first thing to go as everyone spoons them out of the pot and it’s good to have some leftover because the dish is always better the next day!

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hour 45 mins

Total time

2 hours 15 mins

Chicken and Dumplings

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

For the Stock:

1 3-4lb Whole Chicken ((You can use ¼'s or ⅛'s as well))
2 stalks Celery (Chopped in large chunks)
2 large Carrots (Chopped in large chunks)
1 medium Onion (Diced)
2 Bay Leaves
2 sprigs Thyme (Leave whole)
2 sprigs Rosemary (Leave whole)
2 sprigs Sage (Leave whole)
3 cloves Garlic (Finely chopped)
Salt and Pepper (To Taste)
Water (To Cover)

For the Dumplings:

3 cups Self Rising Flour
1½ cup Chicken Stock (Use the just made stock)

Method

For the Stock. In a large pot (I used a 6.3 French Oven) over high heat, add the chicken, herbs and chopped vegetables. Add enough water to cover and submerge the chicken. Bring to a boil and lower the flame to medium-low heat and simmer for an hour and a half or until the chicken is fork tender. At this point, remove the whole chicken from the broth and set it aside to cool. Leave the broth on the low flame to continue simmering.
Once you are able to touch the chicken, go ahead and remove the meat from the bones. Set aside the meat and discard the carcass.
From the broth, remove the stems and stalks of the herbs. If you want, you can now also skim the top of the broth to remove any impurities. Add salt and pepper to taste.
For the dumplings. Remove 1½ cups of stock from the pot and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, add the self-rising flour* and the stock. With a fork or your hands, knead the liquid into the flour to form a dough. Continue kneading until all the flour is incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it's about ¼" thick. Cut the dough into 2" squares with a knife.
Turn up the heat on the stock and once it is boiling, drop the squares of dumplings into the pot, stirring so they do not stick together.
Return the chicken pieces to the pot and stir to combine. Continue cooking for another 5-8 minutes until the dumplings are cooked through and the stock has thickened some.**
Serve in large bowls.

Notes

* Self Rising Flour- If you don't have, you can make your own. For every 1 cup of ap flour add 1½ teaspoons Baking Powder and ¼ teaspoon Salt and mix well.

** If your sauce is not as thick as you would like, in a separate bowl, make a slurry consisting of 2 teaspoons Corn Starch and a 2 tablespoons of Stock. Mix well to remove any lumps and add this mixture back to your stock which should continue boiling for another minute or so. Keep stirring to combine. Lower the flame back to a simmer and the sauce will become thicker as it continues to cook.

Enjoy and Stay Warm!