Corned beef…it’s what’s for dinner #stpatty #redmeat #food #foodporn #soupmama #cornedbeef (at Soup Mama Mel’s Kitchen)

In house pepperoni, stage 2 after fermentation. #charcuterie #food #foodporn #redmeat #soupmama (at Luce)

Learning how to make pepperoni from our certified charcuterie master Pablo! Will post results in 2 months! #charcuterie #pepperoni #food #foodporn #soupmama #redmeat (at Luce)

Caper Salsa Verde

SALSA VERDE!! It is great with just about everything!  Above I topped the verde on my steak for a quick flavorful sauce.  You can try it with fish, chicken, or even just grilled bread or a fried egg!

Recipe:

1 Tbs capers (drained and chopped)

1/2 small garlic clove (finely minced) a little goes a long way!

large handful of italian parsley leaves (chopped)

juice of half a lemon or splash of red wine vinegar

about 1/4 cup - good quality olive oil

maldon sea salt

fresh ground pepper

The key is to have a very sharp knife when cutting the herbs.  This prevents bruising and really exposes the freshness of the herbs.  Mix the chopped parsley, capers, garlic together in a bowl.  Add a few pinches of maldon salt and fresh cracked pepper. THEN add the olive oil.  If you do not mix them first before adding the oil, you will end up with large raw clumps of garlic which is not fun to bite into.  Then add a few squeezes of lemon juice to your liking and adjust seasonings.  It should not be drowning in olive oil, just like a paste in the picture above.  You want to be able to taste each individual flavor.

Suggestions:  Try playing around with different oils, acids, and fresh mild herbs.  Mint and tarragon are good choices.  If you’re looking for more depth of flavor, add anchovies!  YUM!

Red Wine Beef Stew with Buttermilk Cornbread

I’ve had several requests for my beef stew recipe this weekend.  It made for a perfect holiday braise in our new slow-cooker.  Glad you all enjoyed it!

RED WINE BEEF STEW

(makes 1 large crock pot: approx. 20 ppl)

3 lbs. Beef Chuck Roast (large dice) **

1 onion (small dice)

3 stalks of celery (small dice)

4 garlic cloves (chopped)

3 parsnips (large dice)

3 carrots (large dice)

1 lbs potatoes (fingerling or small white potatoes, halved or diced)

1 large can of tomatoes (diced, unsalted)

1 small can tomato paste

1 can of beef broth (unsalted)

thyme sprigs

1 Cup of red wine (merlot or cabernet)

Slowcooker method:

• Season beef generously with kosher salt and pepper.  On high heat in a LARGE PAN or cast iron, brown the diced meat on all sides (5 minutes).  Transfer seared meat into slowcooker.  In the same pan, add onions, garlic, celery and saute on high heat until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add tomato paste and saute for another 2 minutes.  Deglaze with red wine and reduce until pasty.  Reduce liquid by half on high heat.  Transfer everything into a slow cooker.  Add canned tomatoes, beef broth, thyme springs, potatoes, carrots, parsnips.  Set on high for 6-8 hours with the lid on until meat is fork tender.

Stovetop method:

• Season beef generously with kosher salt and pepper.  On high heat in a LARGE POT, brown the diced meat on all sides (5 minutes).  Add onions, garlic, celery and saute on high heat until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add tomato paste and saute for another 2 minutes.  Deglaze with red wine until pasty.  Add canned tomatoes, beef broth, thyme springs, potatoes, carrots, parsnips.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 2-4 hours with the lid on until meat is fork tender.

Serves well over bread, steamed rice, or cornbread.

** I prefer to buy my meats whole and butcher them myself.  You can do this yourself with this particular cut of meat.  I bought my chuck roast from whole foods.  Chuck is the shoulder blade of the cow and is very tough, full of fat and connective tissues which is great for stews and braises.  You can also look towards purchasing top round.  I try not to purchase “stew meat” since it’s already diced up by the butchers and there is less control over which part of the animal the meat has come from.  This recipe is a great way to learn the standard techniques to braising.  You can play around with switching out types of meat (chicken, pork, lamb), different wines (white vs. red), and different herbs/vegetables to make a different type of stew! ENJOY!

Local butcher (at Hong Kong)

Chinese BBQ (at Hong Kong)

Stewin’ things.