Soup Pot: White Beans with Rosemary and Garlic

Do you know Alice Waters? I don't know her personally, of course, but I have great admiration for Alice Waters. She started the restaurant Chez Panisse out in Berkeley, CA; she's a slow food proponent; she loves good food; she writes recipes that highlight the natural beauty and flavor of the ingredients.

I own several of her gorgeous cookbooks! They are worth owning just for the joy of paging through them. The Art of Simple Food is a particular favorite. The recipes are simple, but deep. The book is filled with practical tips, and cooking fundamentals.

This is the second time I've made White Beans with Rosemary and Garlic. It's incredibly easy, but the exquisite depth of flavor is something to savor from a humble bowl of beans. With just five ingredients, the garlic and rosemary sing out in each bite. Served alongside a nice green salad and some bread, you'll have a well-balanced, easy, delicious meal.



WHITE BEANS WITH ROSEMARY AND GARLIC
(from The Art of Simple Food)
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1 cup dried white beans
salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped rosemary leaves (I used 1/2 tsp dried)

Soak the beans overnight in 4 cups of water.

Drain and transfer to a heavy pot. Add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and skim off the foam. Simmer gently for 2 hours or so, until the beans are tender. Add more water if necessary during the cooking. Season to taste with salt.

In a skillet over low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and rosemary. Cook just until the garlic is soft, about 2 minutes. Stir into the beans, taste for salt, and adjust as needed. Let the dish sit for a few minutes before serving to allow the flavors to marry (don't you just love that description?!).

International Cuisine: Chrov Plov

My oldest two sons were born in Kazakhstan. We feel so blessed to have the chance to celebrate and explore another culture. And we truly love the country, people, and food (!) of Kazakhstan. March 22 marked the Kazakh New Year (Nauryz) and so we enjoyed celebrating with friends and eating some traditional dishes. This was one of my absolute favorites but I will be sharing four different recipes throughout the coming weeks - they were all delicious.

The recipes were adapted from Cooking for Kaz: Meals for Hope, Volume 2 - my mom and I both have recipes in the book as well as many other talented cooks (how is that for a shameless promo! :)). Please feel free to check it out - the fundraiser is put on by Two Hearts for Hope and all proceeds from the sales of the cookbook benefit orphans in Kazakhstan. And the cookbook features many different types of recipes in addition to several Kazakh recipes.



CHROV PLOV
adapted from Cooking for Kaz: Meals for Hope, Volume 2
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1 c. rice, uncooked
¼ c. almonds, chopped
2 T. currants
2 T. raisins
6 dried prunes
3 T. dates, chopped
4 T. butter
¼ c. dried apricots, cut into strips
1 T. honey
2 c. water

Soak dates, currant and prunes in warm water for 15 minutes. Remove and pat dry, mix with apricots and raisins. Melt the butter in a large skillet over high heat and add the fruit mixture and almonds. Reduce the heat to low and stir for four minutes. Stir in the honey, rice, and water. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, serve hot.

*I very successfully made this in my rice cooker by adding the sautéed fruit, almonds, butter, and honey to the rice and water in the cooker.

Vegetarian: Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos

Apparently I'm really into tacos right now. I've collected several out-of-the-ordinary taco recipes to try. This vegetarian taco recipe came from a new cookbook, Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free by Amy Green. I was surprised by how many recipes I wanted to try from this cookbook. She had lots of easy, tasty sounding recipes.

These came together super fast and tasted super delicious (bonus, they're also super cheap to make!). Even my husband who thinks most meals should include meat, thought these were good. The sweet potatoes add a sweet edge to the tacos, which cut the spicy a bit, although we do like spicy foods around here. I loved these topped with sliced or mashed avocado, salsa and cheese. These will definitely be working their way into regular menu rotation at our house.



SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN TACOS
(from Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free)
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1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced 1/4 inch
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, diced
1 14.5-ounce can black beans, drained, liquid reserved
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2+ teaspoon chile powder
10 corn tortillas
salt and pepper

Optional topping ideas:
guacamole
salsa
cheese
sour cream
shredded lettuce
shredded veggies

Preheat the oven to 200°F.

Place the sweet potato in a steamer basket with 1/2-inch of water in the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, or until cooked through but still al dente. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 5-8 minutes, until soft. Add the beans, cumin, chile powder, and 1/4 cup of the reserved bean liquid. Mash some of the beans in the pan and add more liquid as  necessary.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and toast the tortillas until they're warm and a little brown on each side. Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and keep warm in the oven.

When the sweet potatoes are cooked, add them to the beans and stir. Add more liquid if necessary. The taco filling shouldn't be dry, but it shouldn't be runny either. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Spoon the filling into the center of each tortilla. Top as desired.

Weekend Fare: Chicken with Wine

I am not an avid drinker of wine. I like it, but I can also pass it up. However, I have a new found appreciation for cooking with wine after the deliciousness that is beef bourguignon.

I found this lightened up coq au vin recipe in the March issue of Cooking Light and decided to give it a try.  I love mushrooms, so the combination of mushrooms, chicken, and wine appealed to me. Although it didn't photograph too well, I was pleased with the result. It was simple to prepare and tasty to consume.



CHICKEN WITH WINE
(from Cooking Light, March 2011)
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1 Tablespoon flour (I used gluten-free flour)
salt and pepper
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced into 8 cutlets and pounded thin
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
10 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Coat the chicken, shaking off any excess.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the chicken and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes; transfer to a plate.

Add 1/2 Tablespoon butter and the mushrooms to the pan and cook, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to the plate of chicken. Stir into the pan the shallot and the remaining 1 Tablespoon butter. Add the wine and chicken broth and simmer until reduced by one-third, about 5 minutes.

Return the chicken and mushrooms to the pan. Add the thyme and cook, turning, to heat through; season with salt.

Market Fresh: Pearl Onions

Generally speaking, I have not been a recent fan of Taste of Home but the March issue had surprising number of recipes I was interested in trying (and so I must give them a little credit!). It featured several onion recipes and I tried the glazed pearl onions with great success. they were very easy, a little high in sugar & fat, and very good. :) They are a wonderful side dish and wold be especially good served with steak.

 

GLAZED PEARL ONIONS - adapted very slightly from Taste of Home, March 2011
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1 package (16 ounces) frozen pearl onions, thawed
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

In a large skillet, saute onions in butter until tender. Add brown sugar and mustard; cook 2 minutes longer. Sprinkle with parsley. 6 servings.

Easiest Tomato Soup

We don't frequently have tomato soup at our house, but it is a comfort food that I crave every so often. And, I never have the cans of tomato soup sitting around when that craving hits (nor do I really relish canned soup). This problem is now solved for all time. This tomato soup is so easy to make, and the ingredients are nearly always in my pantry, that I think we'll be enjoying this for lunch regularly.



EASY TOMATO SOUP
(The Cooks Next Door)
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1 jar (32 oz.) good quality spaghetti sauce (I used Bertolli)
32 oz. chicken stock (I use "Better than Bouillon" paste mixed with water)
1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat the spaghetti sauce and stock in a saucepan until piping hot. Stir in the heavy cream and serve.

Serves 4-6.

On the Side: Orange-Basil Sweet Potatoes

I love sweet potatoes. I could eat them multiple times a week. Jeremy is much more ambivalent about them, but usually willing to try my experiments. I whipped up these unusual sweet potatoes to serve alongside crockpot barbecue ribs. I really enjoyed the flavor combination, though I did go just a little lighter on the dried basil than the recipe specified.

I found this recipe in The Cleaner Plate Club. This is a relatively new cookbook that is geared towards getting kids to eat real food. I don't have kids, but am very impressed with the recipes in this book. I've already tried several and have bookmarked a few more.



ORANGE-BASIL SWEET POTATOES
(from The Cleaner Plate Club)
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2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 c. orange juice
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil, or 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
Salt to taste

Steam the sweet potatoes fro 20-30 minutes, until fork-tender. Put a couple of inches of water into a large pot, set a steaming basket in it, and bring to a boil. Set the sweet potatoes in the basket, cover, and let steam.

Mash the sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Mix in the orange juice, basil, and salt to taste.

Serves 8

Soup Pot: Pesto Bean Soup

I loved the pesto insert in the March Food Network Magazine. It had some great ideas! I made the pesto bean soup and it was amazing! We all enjoyed it so much. And it was very easy to put together as well as being healthy.



PESTO BEAN SOUP - March Food Network Magazine
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5 garlic cloves (I used a little less)
pinch of red pepper flakes
Olive oil
2 cans cannelini beans, drained
1 c. water.
3 Tb. pesto
2 Tb. parmesan cheese
3 c. chicken broth
1 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. olives, chopped (I omitted since we don't care for them)
1/2 c. roasted red pepper, chopped

Saute garlic cloves and red pepper flakes in a skillet with olive oil. Add cannellini beans and water; simmer until thick, about 8 minutes. Stir in pesto and parmesan.

Add chicken broth and celery; cook 15 minutes. Stir in olives and roasted peppers.

Off the Shelf: March Magazine Reviews

Cooking Light (Stephanie): Usually I either love Cooking Light, or I'm disappointed by it. This month, though, I felt so-so about it. A few recipes jumped off the pages for me: Black Bean Hummus, Meyer Lemon Curd Tart, Tropical Sherbet, Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Tahini Sauce. But most of the other recipes were just kind of forgettable.

I decided to try the Vegetable Korma as Jeremy likes Indian food and I haven't been very proactive about making it in my own kitchen. The dish was good, but not quite as flavorful as either of us expected. The dish definitely needed some salt and maybe if I'd added a little curry powder, it might have packed more punch. I used chickpeas in place of the edamame, mostly because if we're eating a meatless meal, chickpeas rank high on Jeremy's preferred protein list. It was good and something I might make again, but with a little tweaking.



VEGETABLE KORMA
(from Cooking Light March 2011)
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1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced peeled ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 c. frozen shelled edamame
1 12-oz baking potato, peeled and diced
1 c. chicken broth
1 tsp flour
1 13.5-oz can light coconut milk
3 c. cauliflower florets
2 c. hot cooked rice

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute for 2 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp ginger and garlic; saute for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in tomato paste and spices; saute for 1 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in edamame and potato. Combine chicken broth, flour, and milk, stirring until smooth. Add broth mixture to pan , and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 3 c. cauliflower, and simmer for 9 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.

Bon Appetit (Stephanie): Bon Appetit was filled with lots of great sounding  recipes, many of which I hope to make. Potato and Yam Soup with Bacon and Spinach; Pork and Lemongrass Meatballs in Lettuce Cups; Roasted Pears with Blackberries, Ricotta, and Lavender Sugar; Savoy Cabbage Rolls with Halibut, Browned Butter and Capers Espresso Pound Cake with Cranberries and Pecans. Don't these sound amazing?!

But my pantry supplies dictated that those recipes would have to wait until a later date. Chocolate Puddings with Orange Whipped Cream won out for my recipe testing. It came together very quickly (besides the 3 hours for cooling in the fridge, of course). Now I don't have any orange liqueur, but the recipe suggested Kahlua or amaretto as alternatives. So I dolloped Kahlua whipped cream on my chocolate pudding. I think the best chocolate pudding I've ever eaten. Delicious!



CHOCOLATE PUDDINGS WITH ORANGE WHIPPED CREAM
(from Bon Appetit March 2011)
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1/2 c. + 3 Tbsp sugar, divided
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 1/2 c. whole milk, divided
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 c. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c. chilled whipping cream
1 Tbsp Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur (or Kahlua or amaretto)
1/4 tsp finely grated orange peel (omit if using a different liqueur)

Whisk 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar, cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp salt in a saucepan to blend. Add 1/2 cup milk and egg yolks; whisk until smooth. Whisk in remaining 2 cups of milk. Bring mixture to a boil over medium/high heat, whisking constantly. Boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove pan from heat; add chocolate chips and butter. Whisk pudding until melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla.

Divide pudding evenly among 6 dessert cups. Place plastic wrap directly onto surface of each, covering pudding completely. Chill at least 3 hours.

Beat whipping cream, liquer, zest, 1 Tbsp sugar until peaks form. Dollop whipped cream on puddings.

Cook's Illustrated (Alaina): One magazine I have not reviewed often (or maybe ever?!) is Cook's Illustrated. It is a fabulous magazine! My gift subscription is just coming to an end and I will be sad for that. The recipes are amazing, the product & brand reviews are excellent, and the articles & technique explanations are incredibly understandable and helpful. The magazine contains fewer recipes than most cooking magazines but the recipes are well chosen and you know they will turn out well.

They included Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread, Boston Cream Pie, and Spaghetti with Mushrom and Tomato Sauce among other delicious-looking recipes. I decided to try the snow peas. There was an article on how to use them and several variations to make a wonderful side dish. They were so good!



SAUTEED SNOW PEAS W/LEMON & PARSLEY
Cook's Illustrated, March/April 2011
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1 Tb. vegetable oil
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 Tb.)
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt & Pepper
1/8 tsp. sugar
3/4 lb. snow peas, tips pulled off and strings removed
1 Tb. minced fresh parsley leaves

Combine 1 tsp oil, shallot, and lemon zest in small bowl. Combine 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper, and sugar in second small bowl.

Heat remaining 2 tsp. oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add snow peas, sprinkle with salt mixture, and cook, without stirring, 30 second. Stir and continue to cook, without stirring, 30 seconds longer. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until peas are crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Push peas to sides of skillet; add shallot mixture to clearing and cook, mashing with spatula, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Toss to combine shallot mixture with vegetables. Transfer peas to bowl and stir in lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Food Network (Alaina): This magazine was once again great! I must have looked through it 20 times trying to decide which recipe to try. I had several marked like Rosemary Chips, Chicken, Sausage & Peppers, Tilapia Milanese, Citrus Salad, and Gorgonzola Polenta. It was an Italian themed issue and there were a lot of great pasta recipes, too. And the pull-out of 50 recipes for this month was pesto based recipes - yum. I will be sharing one of the pesto recipes next week - it was so good! 

They had a wonderful section on bruschetta with many variations. So inspiring! I decided to try a couple of the sweet ones and they were fabulous! They would be perfect for a tea, shower, or brunch especially. They were no-too-sweet and so pretty and they had eight different ideas for the sweet bruschetta and six ideas for the savory.



ORANGE CREAM BRUSCHETTA
Food Network Magazine, March 2011
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Segment a blood orange (I used regular) over a bowl: reserve juice. Toss the segments with 1 Tb. superfine sugar (I used regular). Simmer the juice and 1 Tb. of sugar in a saucepan until syrupy. Spread whipped cream on the toast rounds (I used a french baquette and toasted both sides of the bread in the oven); top with an orange segment and shaved chocolate. Drizzle with orange syrup.



BANANA-HAZELNUT BRUSCHETTA
Food Network Magazine, March 2011
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Toss 2 sliced bananas with 1 Tb. melted butter; spread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar and bake at 425 degress until golden, about 10 minutes (mine never really were golden but they were definitely roasted). Spread hazelnut butter (I used a chocolate hazelnut spread) on the toast rounds. Top with the toasted bananas, whipped cream, and chopped hazelnuts (I used toasted almonds).

Baker's Delight: Salted Toffee-Chocolate Squares

Honestly, I just didn't know what to make for today. It's been a long couple of weeks filled with illness at our house and my desire to cook and bake has been almost non-existant. And so, I looked at magazines and websites looking for something that would inspire me. I wrote to one of my friends that I was at a loss...and then, I happened to pick up my May 2010 issue of Everyday Food. I turned to the back for the index and instead, I came across this recipe. I had everything on hand and decided to give it a shot.

Oh. My. Goodness. These are amazing. They combine so much yumminess into one cookie that I can hardly stand it! They certainly aren't on the "healthy list" but they are worth the splurge. The coarse salt is just the perfect flavor addition - makes all of the flavors come alive. I had to walk away from the pan of cookies; in fact, I had to go upstairs so I would not eat more. So, without further ado, here is the amazing and easy recipe!



SALTED TOFFEE-CHOCOLATE SQUARES
(Everyday Food, May 2010)
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13 graham crackers
1 bag (8 ounces) toffee bits
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped toasted natural almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (4 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips)
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place graham crackers in a single layer on sheet, edges touching. Sprinkle toffee bits and almonds over graham crackers.

In a small saucepan, bring sugar and butter to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is syrupy, 2 minutes. Immediately pour over graham crackers. Bake until sugar topping is bubbling, 12 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate and salt over graham crackers. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 2-inch squares. Let cool completely on sheet on a wire rack. (Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.)

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Salted Toffee-Chocolate Squares Recipe - Martha Stewart Recipes

International Cuisine: Chipotle Mexican Meatballs

The other evening I had a flash of inspiration and wondered why there are Italian meatballs and Swedish meatballs and Greek meatballs, but no Mexican meatballs. So, I set out to make Mexican meatballs spiced with the smokey flavor of chipotle chile powder.

Not too spicy, with definite Mexican flavor, I wrapped these little meatballs in a soft corn tortilla, nestled on a bed of sautéed peppers and onions, topped with a bit of cheese, tomatoes, and guacamole. I call these Fajita Meatball Tacos (or something like that!).



CHIPOTLE MEXICAN MEATBALLS
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1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp dried cilantro flakes
1/2-3/4 tsp chipotle chile powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
splash of milk

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix all of the ingredients together and thoroughly work the spices into the meat (you may need to use freshly washed hands to do this).

Scoop 1-inch meatballs (or your preferred meatball size) onto a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until cooked through.

Make into tacos or taco salad.

Baker's Delight: Banana Cheesecake

On Valentine's Day Jeremy and I went to a favorite restaurant. For dessert I decided to try Fresh Banana Cheesecake (the favored choice of the restaurant owner). I like bananas, I like banana bread, I like banana muffins, but somehow anything else banana never really appeals to me. However, that first bite of banana cheesecake was unbelievably delicious. It tasted somewhat like banana cream pie (which I guess I also like), but even better.

Since then I've been dreaming about making it at home. Last week I decided to give it a try. I'd done recipe research and concocted my own. And to make it even more challenging, I decided to try baking it in my crockpot (why not try two variables in my first go at it?!). It turned out quite well (thought admittedly not quite as memorable as the piece I'd eaten). And until I try another piece someday, this is the best it will get.

The standard cheesecake crust is typically crushed cookies of some sort. Being gluten-free around here, I decided instead to try a shredded coconut crust. I mixed it with melted butter and cinnamon. However, feel free to use your crust of choice.

Also, I used a 1 1/2 quart corning ware dish to make my cheesecake, since I was using the crockpot. To bake in the oven in a springform pan, you will likely need to double the ingredients.



BANANA CHEESECAKE
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Crust:
1 1/2 c. shredded coconut
2-3 Tbsp melted butter
3/4 tsp cinnamon

Filling:
1 1/2 blocks of full-fat cream cheese (room temperature)
1/3 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 eggs
1/2 c. plain yogurt
2 just ripe bananas, mashed

Press your desired crust onto the bottom and slightly up the sides of a lightly greased 1 1/2 quart pyrex or corning ware dish.

In a bowl beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and lemon juice. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly between each. Stir in the plain yogurt and the mashed banana. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of your crockpot (I used 6 quart). Lower the dish inside. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours. The cheesecake is done when the edges are no longer shiny and have set. (It took close to 3 hrs for mine.) Let the cheesecake sit in the cooling crockpot for about an hour. Chill for 2 hours before serving.

Garnish with freshly whipped cream, chopped pecans, chocolate drizzle. Or just eat plain for breakfast. :)

Weekend Fare: Easy Beef Bourguignon

The first time I made this Beef Bourguignon I told Jeremy it might just be the best dish I'd ever cooked. The flavor was superb. Unfortunately I can't take the credit for the recipe, that will have to go to Ina Garten, though somehow I still feel as if it's mine. Silly, I know.

Although this is technically an easy version of this classic recipe (anyone see Julie and Julia?!), there are several steps. So, if you're in the mood for a quick meal, this probably doesn't fit the bill, though I think it comes together quite easily considering. But for an evening you have a little extra time or you want to impress some guests, pull out this dish. You won't be disappointed!

I have made this three times in the last month (if that's not high praise, I don't know what is!), twice at home and once when at my parents house. After I raved about it, Alaina made the dish this weekend and gave it a thumbs up as well.

It's great on its own, but even that much more delicious served over some mashed potatoes.

Cooking Notes: I went ahead and included the original recipe, but I have never used the Cognac (as I don't have any). Also of note, I've never needed an entire bottle of wine; closer to half a bottle. Just use your judgment. If you want more spices than just the thyme, dried sage, a bay leaf, dried basil, or dried oregano are all good. I would just start with 1/4 tsp of your desired herbs.



EASY BEEF BOURGUIGNON
(from Ina Garten on FoodNetwork.com)
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1 tablespoon good olive oil
8 ounces dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon, diced
2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1/2 cup Cognac
1 (750 ml.) bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir
1 can (2 cups) beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound frozen whole onions
1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

Preheat the oven to 250° F.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.

Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.

Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.