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Slow Cooking

Budget Friendly Beef Bourguignon (Burgundy Beef)

By Denise Pare-Watson

Beef Bourguignon is a classic French dish and is essentially a beef and mushroom stew served on noodles. It is typically made with a tender cut of beef like beef tenderloin.   I have utilized more economical cuts of beef – such as stewing beef or chuck roast which I cut into strips for a more elegant appearance. The deliciously rich sauce with tender braised meat is served on top of tagliatelle or thick egg noodles. Beef Bourguignon is a very versatile dish that can be presented family style on a platter or plated individually with any number of garnishes.  I usually save some of each of the pearl onions, caramelized mushrooms and crispy bacon lardons to garnish the finished dish – add a sprinkle of parsley and you are ready to feast on a delicious meal.  Enjoy with a glass of Burgundy wine or any full-bodied red wine.

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Beef Bourguignon | urbnspice.com

Beef Bourguignon is presented family style

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Filed Under: Cooking Techniques, Main Dishes or Entree Options, Meat Dishes, My Recipes Tagged With: Beef Dishes, Budget Friendly, Family Favourites, Slow Cooking

How To Make a Classic Braised Beef Stew

By Denise Pare-Watson

UrbnSpice Tips and Techniques Series

I sooooo enjoy a Classic Beef Stew, and my absolute favourite recipe is adapted from the first Canadian Living Cookbook (circa 1977).  It is called Old Fashioned Beef Stew with Vegetables. I like to use root vegetables, which are a perfect accompaniment, and a number of herbs. In this post, I will discuss the braising method of cooking a more inexpensive tougher cut of meat and share a recipe for Classic Braised Beef Stew.

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Ask any chef what their favourite cooking method is and a large majority, myself included, will say braising because it produces a rich and flavourful product that is hard to beat. It is a cooking method that I use often in the Urb’n’Spice kitchen. Braising is commonly utilized in preparing meat, but there are numerous other food items that can be braised as well. You can learn all about braising in this post.

“Braising is one of the most amazingly delicious and yet simple methods of cooking
an otherwise tough cut of meat.”
The UrbnSpice Chef

What is braising?  It uses a combination of cooking techniques; for example, cubes of beef are first seared to brown and then slowly cooked in a liquid at a low temperature.  Beef stew, Osso Buco,  pot roasts, chicken thighs, pork belly, beef ribs, lamb shanks and pulled pork are a few examples of braised meats, whereas Vichy Carrots and Honey Glazed Rutabaga are some examples of braised vegetable dishes.

Try cooking a tough piece of meat (such as cubed stewing beef) using the braising method and I can guarantee that you will become a fan as well.  I will guide you through a step-by-step process on how to braise cubes of beef, how to deglaze a pan properly and then create and reduce a braising liquid to perfection.

Plated Classic Braised Beef Stew | urbnspice.com

The prepared vegetables are arranged on top of the Beef Stew for presentation

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017-2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Cooking Techniques, Main Dishes or Entree Options, Meat Dishes, My Recipes, Urb'n'Spice Tips and Techniques Series Tagged With: Beef Dishes, Braising, Slow Cooking, Stews

Crock Pot Pulled Chicken

By Denise Pare-Watson

This recipe for Crock Pot Pulled Chicken is one of those dishes that you will come back to again and again once you make it even once.

I have made pulled pork for years as it one of our family favourites. Making the dry rubbing, smoking, and the slow cooking process is a wonderfully satisfying process, not to mention the eating! Then, I came across this recipe for pulled chicken – it is a much easier process and absolutely worth trying.

Pulled Chicken in Slider Buns | urbnspice.com

 

Crock Pot Pulled Chicken | urbnspice.com

Crock Pot Pulled Chicken – enough for a crowd

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Food Fun, Main Dishes or Entree Options, My Recipes, Sauces, Savory Tagged With: Chicken, Crock Pot, Slow Cooking

Braising Brazenness

By Denise Pare-Watson

Ask any chef what their favourite cooking method is and they are bound to say braising.  It is a method I use often in the UrbnSpice kitchen.  In this post, I explain what braising is all about, together with ideas and a recipe for a Classic Braised Beef Stew.  This article is all about Braising Brazenness.

“Braising is one of the most amazingly delicious and yet simple methods of cooking an otherwise tough cut of meat.”

Braising Brazenness: Classic Braised Beef Stew | urbnspice.com

Classic Braised Beef Stew

Braising is definitely one of my favourite methods of cooking.  It uses a combination cooking technique in that the meat (example:  beef cubes) is first seared to brown, and then cooked in a liquid slowly for a long period of time at a lower temperature.  Beef stew, Osso Buco,  pot roasts, chicken thighs, pork belly, beef ribs, lamb shanks and pulled pork are just a few examples of braising.

Try cooking a tough piece of meat using the braising method and I can guarantee that you will find it becomes one of your favourite methods of cooking as well.

But don’t stop there – did you know that you can also use this method for vegetables?  I make a classic vegetable dish called Vichy Carrots, and Honey Glazed Rutabaga which you can see in the photos below.  They use the same concept – braising.  Once the vegetables are cooked, the cooking liquid is reduced to a syrupy glaze.

Vichy Carrots | urbnspice.com

 

Braising Brazenness: Braised Honey Glazed Rutabaga | urbnspice.comBraised Honey Glazed Rutabaga

Classic Braised Beef Stew

Classic Braised Beef Stew with Root Vegetables | urbnspice.com

Classic Braised Beef Stew with Root Vegetables | urbnspice.com

CHEF TALK:  I love a classic beef stew. My absolute favourite recipe is adapted from The Canadian Living Cookbook, which is no longer in publication.  My copy has been well used by myself and my two daughters.  I was able to find two more copies of the same book for them from collectors – they were thrilled as it was a cookbook that they used frequently with me in the kitchen. It is called Old Fashioned Beef Stew with Winter Vegetables. Winter vegetables are a perfect accompaniment. I like to cook the vegetables separately and then add it to the finished stew as a garnish.

Canadian Living Cookbook - A well loved family favourite | urbnspice.com

Classic Braised Beef Stew

 

CLASSIC BRAISED BEEF STEW

INGREDIENTS
Imperial Metric
For the Stew:
2 ½ lbs 1.125 kg Lean boneless chuck stewing beef
1 Tablespoon 15 ml Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons 45 ml Butter
¾ cup 175 ml Onion, finely chopped
2 2 Cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup 50 ml All Purpose flour or Gluten Free Flour Blend
1 teaspoon 5 ml salt
½ teaspoon 2.5 ml black pepper
1 1 Bay leaf
1 teaspoon 5 ml Dried Thyme
1 teaspoon 5 ml Marjoram
1 cup 250 ml Red Wine
3 cups 750 ml Beef stock
For the Winter Vegetables:
2 2 Large Potatoes, cut into 1-inch dice (Waxy potatoes such as Red or New potatoes that hold their shape well after cooking)
8 – 10 8 – 10 Pearl Onions, peeled and left whole
4 4 Large Carrots, cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 3 Small white turnip, cut into wedges & trimmed
2 2 Medium parsnips, cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 2 Stalks Celery, sliced into 1-inch slices
For Garnish:
¼ cup 62.5 ml Parsley, chopped fine

METHOD:

For the Stew:

  1. Cut the Chuck beef into 1-inch cubes. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel.
  2. Season the beef with salt and pepper.
  3. In a heavy saucepan, heat the oil and half of the butter.
  4. Brown the cubes of beef in a single layer, ensuring that the beef is browned well. CHEF TIP: This part of the braising process is very important, so take the time the beef requires to caramelize nicely.
  5. When all of the meat is browned, set it aside. Melt more butter in the saucepan and sauté the onion until tender and golden. Add the minced garlic.
  6. Stir in the flour and continue cooking over medium heat until the flour is cooked out – about 3 minutes.
  7. Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
  8. Return the meat to the pan and add the beef stock, bay leaf and herbs.
  9. Simmer, either on top of the stove or in the oven until the beef is tender (about one and one-half hours.
  10. Once the beef is tender, remove the bay leaf and the beef cubes and keep the meat warm.   The remaining braising liquid can be reduced if necessary.
  11. Combine the meat with the braising liquid, and distribute the cooked vegetables around and on top of the stew. Garnish with parsley and serve.

For the Vegetables:

  1. Peel the vegetables and prepare as indicated above.
  2. Steam the vegetables until tender.   Steam the smaller dice vegetables separately. Distribute them around the stew and stir through, if desired.

CHEF TIP: The photograph shown was for a catering event. For added flavour and presentation, I tossed the steamed potatoes in paprika and lightly sautéed them just for colour.   The turned turnip was kept very plain for presentation – it is a beautiful brilliant white vegetable when steamed. Tossed in a bit of melted butter is all that is required for these beautiful vegetables.

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

  • Reductions
    __________

Other Urb’n’Spice Recipes you might Enjoy!

Pulled Chicken

Vichy Carrots

Honey Glazed Rutabaga

Tweaking – A Study in Flavour Amendment

Roasted Strawberry Salsa on Grilled Chicken Breast

Braising is a technique that produces a sauce or glaze that is so rich and flavourful – it is hard to beat.  I hope you are able to try Braising as a cooking technique in your kitchen with these ideas and recipes.

Happy Braising, Everyone!

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

 

Denise Pare-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

 

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Canadian Living – The only magazine I subscribe to since its inception.  I trust the recipes from Canadian Living – they are triple-tested in their test kitchens.

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2014-2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Cooking Techniques, Foodie Quotes, My Current Foodie Fondness Tagged With: Braising, Cooking Techniques, Food Quotes, Main Dishes, Slow Cooking, Stews

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Meet Denise – The Urbnspice Chef

Welcome to Urbnspice - A Taste of Heart and Home. Inspiration in my kitchen is often a trip to the market or an experimental coincidence! Come and join me on this culinary journey where I share my passion for the creative, technical and teaching components of the profession and unravel culinary quandaries for you with fun and easy to follow user-friendly recipes, tips & techniques.
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