Tag Archives: Bon Appétit

Winter Warmers

Don’t you just adore good winter warmers, like the ultimate classic dish boeuf bourguignon?

This dish has been on my Culinary Bucket List, and I’m a tad bit embarrassed to say that it intimidated me and it kept getting pushed towards the end of my must make or bake list. Eek.. Speaking of bucket lists, do you have any? I use an Iphone and keep a huge list using the notes app of culinary things I want to try to make, and that way it’s always handy when I’m getting our shopping list together.

After actually making the dish, I realized that there is quite a bit of prep work before actually getting to cook it. BUT First, don’t make the same mistake that I did… forgetting the beef needs to marinate over night. Oops. It delayed our dinner by one night. Double oops. Secondly, prep all your ingredients the night before. Trust me! Major time saver if trying to serve on a work/ school week night. And third, enlist someone to help or do the kitchen cleanup along the way. (Thanks Mr. B). HUGE HELP!

We just received our new Le Creuset Dutch oven as a Christmas gift to one another, so I figured what better way to break her in than with an extra special meal like boeuf bourguignon.

Maybe you haven’t tried, or are unfamiliar with the dish. That’s okay! Together lets dive right into in with our forks and spoons. This rich beef stew is made with beef braised in red wine and beef broth, it’s flavored with thick cuts of bacon batons, mushrooms, garlic, onions, carrots, and salt/ pepper to taste. Oh my stars, it is out of this world d-elicious! We ended up serving it over some nice buttery Cavatappi noodles.

So where can you grab this recipe?
…..Well you can intrust in good ‘ol Julia Child and follow along with this video.

Or, search the internet for slightly adapted versions like the following:

Epicurious
Food.com
Simply Recipes

Whatever you decide in the end, you will not be disappointed.

In our greatest Julia Child impersonation we leave you with this quote, “See, I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food…” BON APPÉTIT!

Backpackbees

FFE

FFE= Fuss free and easy! Two items that we Bee’s look for in a recipe after a long day of work. We’ve been on a fish kick lately. I must confess, I have been loving every savory second of it too. Mr. B is getting quite creative with seasoning and such. I mean honestly, does anyone else out there not ever get sick of fish?

Cod. Eh, cod doesn’t come across as a fancy pants fish, right? Wrong. Cod can delicious served simple or jazzed up with all sorts of fun ingredients. Tonight we jazzed up our cod by poaching and using ingredients such as sassy saffron and white wine.

Poached Cod with Tomato and Saffron
Recipe Adapted from: Bon Appétit

INGREDIENTS

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Cloves minced garlic
1 Teaspoon Aleppo pepper or ½ crushed red pepper flakes
Chopped handful of fresh vine ripened tomatoes and fresh cherry tomatoes, boiled down
¼ Cup dry white wine
2 Bay leaves
Pinch of saffron threads
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 5-oz. Skinless cod fillets
2 Tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions:

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and Aleppo pepper and cook, stirring often, until fragrant (garlic should not take on any color), about 3 minutes.

Add chopped fresh tomatoes, crushing with your wooden spoon as you add them, wine, bay leaves, saffron, and ½ cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until flavors meld and until tomato skins peel off while string gently. Season with salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to medium-low; season cod with salt and pepper and place in skillet. Cover and cook at a bare simmer until cod is opaque throughout and beginning to flake, 5–7 minutes (thicker pieces will take longer to cook).

Gently transfer cod to shallow bowls and spoon poaching liquid over.

Backpackbees