Curried Sweet Potato and Coconut Chowder

Fusion cuisine is something I think about doing often and decide against almost as often, depending on who will be eating the food. Fusing together different cuisines and techniques isn't something everyone loves and definitely requires an open mind and a sense of adventure. For some eaters, it is downright confusing if they are not versed in the inspiration for the new-fangled dish. On the other hand, I love trying favorite ethnic seasonings in unexpected concoctions and some cuisines were just meant to go together, such as French and Moroccan or Peruvian and Chinese. Fusing cuisines and getting super experimental isn't for the beginning cook, but trying it can give a beginner or novice some insight into the creative process used by cooking professionals. Everyone's cooking technique can benefit by pondering what makes nouveau, nouvelle, or fusion foods good.

I love exotic flavors and preparations, but also appreciate classic, reliable American flavors and forms.  When I'm thinking of fusing two techniques or cuisines together, sometimes I consider and reconsider, should I use the technique of recipe A and the seasonings of cuisine B or vice versa or somewhere in between? After much trial and error, I usually find that keeping the technique of the title  (such as chowder, chili, turnover, wrap, etc) is the best way to ground the dish and keep it true to it's name and your intention. Then comes the switching out of seasonings and ingredients to "fuse" an unexpected flavor, cuisine, or dish into the other. Sometimes you are just dying to use an ingredient scavenged from the greenmarket or you are just trying to use up something in the fridge in a creative way before it goes bad. Either way, developing a complete idea around the ingredient is the best way to ensure that things will come out great without going too far "out there" making the food unrecognizable. Using this theory can keep the novice cook from going completely astray and give the experienced cook or chef a clear sense of direction and, so makes the process more enjoyable. Sounds calculated for such a creative concept, doesn't it? It's not. These are just some general observations and rules of thumb to get thinking about creative cooking technique.

There is lots of room for variation in so-called "fusion cuisine". Here my appreciation for all-American chowder  is amped up with my obsession with sweet potatoes and Indian seasonings.  Coconut milk replaces milk and cream. Instead of celery and thyme as dominant seasonings, I used chaat masala, whole mustard and cumin seeds, and ginger.  Minced cilantro replaces parsley. Finish with a little lemon (or lime!).  As this simmered on my stove, I realized it was begging for some seafood (curry, coconut, fish..Yea!) and I had some leftover poached wild salmon hanging around, so in it went! This would be great with protein additions such as fish or shellfish, tofu, red beans, or any other thing you think should be tossed in. My fish was cooked so I added it at the end. For raw fish or meat, add it when you add the sweet potatoes and peppers. The result is technically a chowder, but with pungeant, spicy, and deep flavors of South Indian cuisine. Warm some of this up and enjoy with naan, paratha, rotis, or chapatis and maybe some green chutney and yogurt.

Gather your mise before you begin!

Curried Sweet Potato and Coconut Chowder

9-grain paratha from my Indian market

4 T virgin coconut oil (yes, it is good for you:)
1 t black mustard seeds
1 t whole cumin seeds
1-2 T chaat masala (or substitute garam masala or Sambar)
1 t paprika (I use hot, sweet is okay)
1 t ground turmeric
2 t minced fresh ginger
2 T minced fresh garlic

1 medium onion, diced
2 lb sweet potatoes (Jewel or Garnet yams), peeled and diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 lg carrots, sliced into 1/2" rounds
2 t sea salt
1/2-1 t honey (opt.)
2 cans coconut milk (or 1 can coconut milk, 1 can water for a light consistency)


In the bottom of a soup pot, melt down coconut oil and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Cook for one minute before adding remaining spices, ginger, and garlic. Stir and cook 3-4 minutes over medium until spices are fragrant.

Add diced onion and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring until onion begins to soften. Add sweet potatoes, pepper, and carrots and season with sea salt. Add honey and coconut milk (and water, if using) and stir to incorporate. Turn heat up and bring to almost a boil. Lower heat right away and let simmer for about 25 minutes, uncovered. Stir occasionally and check for tenderness.

When carrots and sweet potatoes are very tender, taste for seasoning and spiciness and adjust. Add about a cup of chopped cilantro and a healthy squirt of lemon juice. Serve immediately or let cool and reheat for later.

Baked Autumn Cassoulet

Voila! Autumn Cassoulet!

A cassoulet is a typical French stew traditionally made with sausage, flageolet beans, and bouquet garni. It is delicious, hearty and warming, but not always accessible. Flageolet beans can be hard to find and some people don't go for greasy sausage or sausage at all. I have a favorite vegan version of a cassoulet where I have replaced the butter with olive oil added veggies, and tried to duplicate the sausage's essence without actually adding sausage (or sometimes worse,  vegetarian soy sausage). As with most vegetarian versions of things, I usually try to modify seasoning and texture of a dish to come close to it's meaty counterpart without adding the processed stuff. I'm not ripping up all veggie meats. Some are healthy and tasty and definitely have their time and place. For something with so many great ingredients, though, there really is no reason to use it here.

In garden season, I like to take these really simple ingredients and stew them together slowly all afternoon. Then I pop them in the oven about 30 minutes before dinner and have a great French (inspired) meal. Since it is no longer the season for these veggies to be at their peak, but the winter squashes are pouring in all over, I thought I would incorporate a diced butternut squash into the mix and modify the seasonings a teeny tiny bit to give my autumn cassoulet a hint of spice to showcase the squash. If you think you will miss having sausage in it, add some chicken and apple sausage with chardonnay or some such thing. . .I have used the one just mentioned, but can't remember the brand. Aidell's? Al Fresco? Find a sweet and sage-y autumnal variety, brown it, slice it, and pop it in to stew.

Cook it all slowly till the flavors come together.

Autumn Cassoulet

1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced shallots
1 cup sliced celery with tops
1 t finely minced garlic
1 cup diced green pepper
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 bay leaves
1/2 t dried sage
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t dried rosemary
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t smoked paprika
1/4-1/2 t sea salt
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes
3 cups cooked flageolet beans or navy beans (or approx 2 cans, rinsed)


Warm oil in a cassoulet pan (or medium pot). Add shallots, celery, garlic, pepper, and squash. Cook over medium until everything begins to get fragrant. If you are using sausage, slice it up and throw it in now and let it brown before you continue.

Add herbs, spices (omit smoked paprika if using sausage),  sea salt, and pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes, then add fresh and canned tomatoes. Stir to incorporate everything and add drained beans. Stir again and bring the heat up to a rapid simmer/almost a boil to get it hot, then lower to medium-low and set it on the back burner for an hour or so. If you would like to let it go longer, check it for liquid and add a little water or stock (you should maybe do this anyway so it doesn't dry out. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Taste for seasoning after you are happy with it and pop it in the oven for 20-30 minutes. This part is optional, but I think it really adds something to the finished product.

Serve as an entree with crusty baguette or as a veggie side.**

**a great potluck dish!
**freezes well

Moroccan Lentil Vegetable Soup

Soup in progress!

As usual, I am reluctant to say goodbye to summer, but the darker skies and rain isn't always such a bad thing. After an exciting and very eventful summer and so far a ridiculously busy fall, a few days of rain and accepting that I've caught a cold is a great excuse to stay in and make soup.

Sprouted wheat with raisins, a perfect pairing

I bought the vegetables, broth, and tomato paste yesterday with the intention of making a classic American soup to soothe my sore throat, steam this cold out, and get some veggies down, especially since I'm eating for two now. I haven't been able to stomach any greens all week as this bug slowly started settling in. As I began to chop ingredients and toss them in the pot, I realized I wanted something with some flavor! I'm quite sure a Moroccan lentil vegetable soup in Morocco is nothing like this, but the spices are about right.  Despite my un-Moroccan combo of mirepoix, summer squash, and collards, this soup has a tangy, spicy Moroccan feel and and can fix up a boring soup recipe. If I had some winter squash, it would have gone into the pot in a heartbeat. Whole Foods had a gorgeous loaf of savory sprouted wheat bread that was woven with raisins and absolutely superb warmed up and served alongside this soup.

Enjoy a pungeant and flavorful pot of soup to welcome the first weekend of fall. This one is for the least adventurous to the most adventurous eaters. If you just aren't sure if Moroccan spices are your thing, then go light on them and keep the seasoning subtle. If you are feeling adventurous, go generous with the spices and cayenne. Welcome back, fall!

Typical spices combined for an exotic flavor blend!

Moroccan Lentil Vegetable Soup

3 T extra-virgin olive oil
3 T ghee (or more olive oil)

1 t ground turmeric
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground cumin
1/2-1 t cayenne pepper (or more)

1 t freshly grated ginger root
3 t freshly grated garlic cloves
2 medium onions, diced
4 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
4 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/2 moons
1 medium yellow squash, sliced into 1/2 moons
6 crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups dried brown lentils, rinsed and sorted
vegetable broth or water or a little of both
1  6 oz can tomato paste
1 small bunch collard greens, roughly shredded
juice of 1 large lemon
2 t sea salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil and ghee in a large soup pot over medium heat add spices, ginger, and garlic and cook for one minute, stirring and releasing their fragrance. Add onion, celery, carrot, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, bell pepper, and any other veggies you feel like throwing in (Save leafy veggies for the end.).Add 1 1/2 cups brown lentils

Stir and cook for about 10 minutes and coating them in the seasoned oil. Add vegetable and/or water to cover by 2 inches. I typically use a 32 oz. Tetrapak, then add water to cover, if needed. Add tomato paste and season with a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes or so, until veggies and lentils are tender and seasonings have married. Add shredded collard greens, or other leafy green and cook on low for 5-8 more minutes until wilted and incorporated.

Finish generously with lemon juice, sea salt, and pepper. I'm insane and like to put plain organic whole milk yogurt on everything and this soup is no exception. If you are craving a cooling garnish, it is awesome!

Curried Pumpkin Bisque

It got a little sloshed around, but it tasted really good!

Digging through my recipe graveyard for some ideas this week, I found myself wondering if there is anything that could get me really excited and is easy to make.  I, like everyone, find myself in a rut sometimes.  I have a large repertoire of favorite dishes, but even those get dull since I always find myself looking for new flavors, fresh presentation techniques, and a little inspiration.  Fortunately,  I have been really busy with both new and old clients all week and have been finding myself challenged by the clock, if not the food police.

At least the dishes I have made so far this week have turned out, though, it was possibly due to the adrenaline involved in trying to just keep up than my perfect culinary prowess. Sometimes that's the name of the game--when I work, I have to do it quickly, efficiently, and neatly.  The kitchen is always left as I found it and within the correct time frame.  All of the logistics can truly take the soul and the spirit out of the simple act of preparing a dish.  I'm only now warming up for the busy season and being forced to snap to fairly quickly.  Hopefully, something good turns up soon in the recipe graveyard.

Back to the bustle

After long cooking days, I often have to dig through the fridge and freezer later at home trying to scrape up something to eat.  Ironic, isn't it?  Sometimes some of the simplest combinations just work.  Uncommon pairings of leftovers come together to delight my tired palette.  Tonight, my hodge-podge (that's different from Mod Podge) dinner turned out to be seasonal, healthful, ethnic-inspired, and if my memory serves me correctly, local.  Alright!  

Deep in the back of my freezer was last winter's curried pumpkin bisque.  I  got it going on the stove and dug around some more.

Could this be the crunchy and addictive Indian-style pickled red onions with ginger and jalapeno from a few weeks ago?  It was.  I grabbed it along with a little plain yogurt and a few almost-wilted chives, poured a big bowl of the bisque, and topped it with my treasures.  The onions sunk to the bottom and the yogurt melted out of formation into creamy awesomeness on top which balanced out the spicy curry flavors.  The salvaged chives brought the deep flavors up with a bit of green crunch.   It was so satisfying and flavorful and completely something I could pull off as a first course at a client's dinner party if I was so inclined.  Dinner problem solved, for tonight at least.

Tomorrow I may have to actually head to the market.

By popular demand, here is a pumpkin soup recipe just in time for another beautiful September weekend!  I have a few pumpkin and squash soup recipes, but this is my favorite one by far.  Make a double batch and freeze some.  After all, that is how I found some in my freezer today.

Curried Pumpkin Bisque

1  3 lb pumpkin
1 1 lb sweet potato/jewel yam
Olive oil

1 lg yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 apple, cored
3-4 Tablespoons Coconut oil
2 Tablespoons Garam masala
2 teaspoons Ground ginger
1 teaspoon Ground cumin
1 teaspoon Curry powder
2 teaspoons Sea salt
Black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 can coconut milk
3-4 cups vegetable stock

Dash of honey
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Halve pumpkin vertically, cutting carefully with a sharp knife and scoop out seeds and goo.  Rub open side lightly with olive oil and place open side down on baking sheet.

Wash sweet potato and place next to squash to bake.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until pumpkin and sweet potato are very soft.  Flip squash over and slice open sweet potato to cool.

In a large pot, cook onion and apple in a little coconut oil, until translucent.  Add spices/seasonings.  Cook 7-8 minutes more. 

When cool enough to handle, scoop out squash and sweet potato into soup pot. 

Add coconut milk and stock.  Cook about 15 minutes until flavors blend. 

Puree in batches and season with salt, pepper, and honey to taste.  Finish with about 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice.

Kale and White Bean Saute

Dark, leafy greens are in at the farmer's market!  What to do with them?  A simple steam or saute preserves their nutrients while making a healthy and tasty side dish.  Or you could add in some onions, peppers, apple cider vinegar, and honey and make them spectacular!  Here is one of my favorite kale recipes.

 Kale and White Bean Saute

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 vidalia onion, sliced

1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips

1 large bunch curly kale (green or purple)

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar (like Braggs)

2 T honey

1/2 t sea salt

lots of freshly ground black pepper

dash of crushed red pepper

In a large saute pan with a lid or a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions and peppers and cook them, uncovered, about 20 minutes, until they are soft, sweet, and beginning to brown.  

While that cooks, wash and roughly chop the kale.  Remove the stem if it is very thick.  When onions and peppers are ready, add as much kale to the pot as will fit.  Cover and reduce heat to low/medium-low.

Cook for about 10 minutes.  When kale has wilted and there is room in the pot for you to stir it, combine kale with onions and peppers if you haven't already, then add remaining kale and the beans.  Stir gently, cover, and cook about 5 more minutes.

When that has wilted, turn the heat up to high or medium-high and add vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper.  Add a little crushed red pepper if you're into spice.

Cook on high, uncovered,  to evaporate most of the excess liquid and serve right away!  This works great with other dark leafy greens, too.  It's great with collards, chard, mustard greens, or a combination! 

Pissaladiere

It's Thursday again.  An always busy day, but also often the signal that my week of marketing, planning, menu changes, cooking, and clean-ups is coming to a close (unless, of course, I was insane enough to book weekend parties). Once I sum up the week in invoices, totals and laundry, then the next few days are all mine.  To end each week, I always take some time go over the next week's schedule and plan out menus to try and  fulfill each client's wishes for the following week.  I email them out to each client and then just call it quits for a few days. After three parties and four "stock the fridge" sessions in three days (or something like that), you would think my plans would be really simple for the next week.

In reality, though, when I over-book myself, I begin to plan more and more ambitious and creativity-required menus and dishes, including new recipes that I have no idea about or haven't a clue what the results will be. It is truly frightening to show up to a three-course dinner party for 12 without having even read the dessert recipe yet.  I guess I really like living on the edge.

I'm not sure why I do it.  Maybe to keep myself entertained or maybe I get cocky about how fast I can make a nice crudites on the fly while cooking off 16 Filets, then leaving and starting all over again somewhere else numerous times in a day.

Probably what happens, though, is that while doing the end of the week planning,  in retrospect I think to myself, that wasn't so bad and so then plan another week of challenging and confusing menus where I  must rise to the occasion and accommodate my own high maintenence menus once again.  It's what I do and I do it to myself so I won't complain.  Without working in a "real" kitchen, maybe the insanity of it all keeps me feeling connected to the restaurant folks. Some really great food comes out of these off-the-cuff sort of menus and I find that the frantic prep sessions often turn out the best recipes.

Ever since I was in culinary school, I have fantasized about whipping up a Pissaladiere, which is a French pizza-savory tart type of thing.  It is traditionally made with caramelized onions, anchovies, and French oil-cured olives.  I LOVE it, but until yesterday have never gotten around to actually making one.  I was hired to cook for a party in honor of and to raise campaign funds for the governer of Maine.  It was a simple wine and hors d'ouevre event where the governer would be speaking.  What better time to fulfill a food fantasy and try something brand new that I have never made before?  Ha.  Well, all went well and thanks to Ina Garten, I printed off a perfect recipe for pissaladiere.  It was gorgeous, lovely, and beautiful and I highly recommend making one to munch on this weekend.

While the party was going on, the kids were in the kitchen and they loved this, too! If you have adventurous eaters at home, they will make this disappear, so better go ahead and make two.

The recipe I used is from Barefoot in Paris, by Ina Garten.  Hers is a classic, traditional pissaladiere, but I added some freshly grilled artichokes from Citarella.  I thought it would be a nice seasonal adjustment that would accommodate more palettes.  Here it is.  Don't be put off because it uses a yeasted crust.  It's very simple and very fast.  Really, you should make it. 

Pissaladiere

adapted from Barefoot in Paris, by Ina Garten

makes two 10"x15" pissaladieres

For onion topping (halve this to just make one):
1/2 cup good oliveoil, plus extra for brushing
4 pounds yellow onions, halved and sliced 1/4" thick
2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 whole cloves garlic

For the dough:
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 envelopes dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons good olive oil
4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
2 teaspoons kosher salt

To assemble:
Cornmeal, for baking
12-18 anchovy fillets (and/or 3-5 large grilled artichoke bottoms, thinly sliced)
12 French black olives, preferable oil-cured, pitted (I halved mine)

DIRECTIONS
For the topping, heat the olive oil in a very large saute pan and cook the onions, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic over low heat for 45 minutes, until the onions are sweet and cooked but not browned.  Toss the onions from time to time.  After 30 minutes, take out the garlic, chop it roughly, and add it back to the onions.

Meanwhile, for the dough, combine the water, yeast, honey, and olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.  (If the bowl, is cold, start with warmer water so it's at least 100 degrees F when you add the yeast.) Add 3 cups of the flour, then the salt, and mix on medium-low speed.  While mixing, add 1 more cup of flour or just enough to make a soft dough.  Mix the dough on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes, until smooth, sprinkling it with flour to keep it from sticking to the bowl.  When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times.  It should be smooth and elastic.  Place the dough in a a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover lightly with oil.  Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel.  Allow tho rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts, rolling each one into a smooth ball.  If you're only making 1 pissaladiere, place 1 ball on a baking sheet and cover it loosely with a damp towel.  Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.  (If you're making just one and not using the other dough, wrap it well and refrigerate or freeze it for the next time.)  Roll the dough lightly with a rolling pin, then stretch it to a 10"x15" rectangle and place it on a baking sheet that is sprinkled with yellow cornmeal.

If the onions are very oily, you can drain them in a mesh strainer for a few minutes before you move on to the next step
.
Spoon the onion topping onto the dough, leaving a 3/4" border all around.  Artfully arrange the artichokes or anchovies and olives on top, brush the edge of the dough  with olive oil, and bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is crisp.  Serve hot on a cutting board.

It is so good.

Baby Vegetable Fricassee

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adorable baby leeks

Well, spring has officially sprung! All the adorable cute mini versions of vegetables are here! Check your regular supermarket, the farmer's markets, and the health food store and you are sure to come across some beauties! I served this alongside three-grain croquettes yesterday and offered it with shrimp skewers the night before. It is versatile and a crowd-pleaser!

If you find some baby veggies I haven't suggested below, get them and toss them in, too! I added fresh peas and a handful of snow peas here because I couldn't locate any baby zucchini quite yet. This is perfect for a spring-time side dish!

fresh baby corn outshines the canned stuff by a million!!

Baby Vegetable Fricassee

Inspired by a recipe from Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights: Recipes for Every Season, Mood, and Appetite 

1 Tbsp+2 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 baby leeks or Texas onions with the green tops, washed well and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 tsp+1/4 tsp sea salt
dash of white pepper
2 cups baby carrots, halved (or quartered, if they are huge)
1 1/2 cups fresh English peas
10-15 ears fresh baby corn, husked
1/4 cup+ 1 cup vegetable broth

handful of snow peas, trimmed at the ends

1 bunch enoki mushrooms, cut from main root/stem and gently rinsed

2 Tbsp unbleached white flour

dash of fresh lemon zest (literally just a quick grate or two)

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp snipped chives

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large pan. Add leeks and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 tsp salt and white pepper.

2. Add carrots, peas, and baby corn. Cook 5 minutes and add 1/4 cup vegetable broth or water. Cook partially covered for about 10 minutes, or until carrots and corn are tender. Add snow peas and enoki mushrooms. Toss and remove from heat.

3. In a separate small pot, melt remaining butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in 2 tablespoons flour to make a roux. Drizzle in 1 cup broth to make a thick sauce, whisking the whole time.

4. Pour sauce over vegetables in large pan. Stir. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, stir again, and taste for seasoning.

5. Serve warm with snipped chives on top.

Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon

Julia on the left, Meryl Streep portraying her on the right in Julie & Julia

I did it! On Friday, I printed out a copy of Julia's famous version of the timeless French recipe and off I went to the market to pick up the ingredients for Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon! Since seeing Julie and Julia, I have been dying to make it, so I talked a client into it and tacked it onto Friday's menu.

My style of cooking is typically an improvisational game consisting of flavor balancing, adapting the new to the old, and generally just feeling my way through the ingredients, while inspired by traditional flavors and technique. When I do follow a recipe to the number, it is usually what I focus on in the beginning of the cooking day and I just get through it, so I can jump back into an inventive groove and get back to "my" cuisine. Little did I know, Julia was about to keep me in check and hold me in the recipe game for hours...I mean all day.

The recipe is actually not complicated, but like most French food, technique, timing, and following instructions count--big time. This recipe requires attention in the first 20 or so steps, that's right, the first 20 steps. After the stew is put in the oven to cook for 3 or 4 hours, you are not finished. There are other steps to prepare, not complicated ones, but they are steps nonetheless. Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon is not a recipe to just tack on to an already varied and complex menu. I could have spent all day savoring each step and smelling this fragrant dish as it came together. Alas, that wasn't my day. I made it through, though, preparing the entire menu, and managing to enjoy myself despite occasionally nearing a kitchen meltdown. I think Julia would have been proud. Here it is. Remember, pat the meat dry. If any of you make it or have made it, I would love to hear any comments or reflections about your experience.

Boeuf Bourguignon a La Julia Child
adapted from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"

For the Stew

6 ounces bacon, solid chunk
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 lbs lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 carrot, peeled and sliced

1 onion, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups red wine (a full bodied wine like Bordeaux, Burgundy, or Chianti)
2-3 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, mashed (you may choose to add more)
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf

For the braised onions

18-24 white pearl onions, peeled
1 1 /2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup beef stock
salt and fresh ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
2 sprigs parsley

For the sauteed mushrooms

1 lb mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. First prepare the bacon: cut off the rind and reserve.
2. Cut the bacon into lardons about 1/4" thick and 1 1/2" long.
3. Simmer the rind and the lardons for ten minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water.
4. Drain and dry the lardons and rind and reserve.
5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
6. Put the tablesoon of olive oil in a large (9"-10"wide, 3"deep) fireproof casserole and warm over moderate heat.
7. Saute the lardons for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly.
8. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.
9. Dry off the pieces of beef and saute them, a few at at a time in the hot oil/bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides.
10. Once browned, remove to the side plate with the bacon.
11. In the same oil/fat, saute the onion and the carrot until softened.
12. Pour off the fat and return the lardons and the beef to the casserole with the carrots and onion.
13. Toss the contents of the casserole with the salt and pepper and sprinkle with the flour.
14. Set the uncovered casserole in the oven for four minutes.
15. Toss the contents of the casserole again and return to the hot oven for 4 more minutes.
16. Now, lower the heat to 325 degrees and remove the casserole from the oven.
17. Add the wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered.
18. Add the tomato paste, garlic, and herbs and the bacon rind.
19. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.
20. Cover and place in the oven, adjusting the heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly for three to four hours.
21. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
22. While the meat is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms and set them aside till needed.
23. For the onion, if using frozen, make sure they are defrosted and drained.
24. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and add the onions to the skillet.
25. Saute over medium heat for about ten minutes, rolling the onions about so they brown as evenly as possible, without breaking apart.
26. Pour in the stock, season to taste, add the herbs, and cover.
27. Simmer over low heat for about 40-50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
28. Remove the herbs and set the onions aside.
29. For the mushrooms, heat the butter and oil over high heat in a large skillet.
30. As soon as the foam begins to subside, add athe mushrooms and toss and shake the pan for about five minutes.
31. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.
32.To Finish the Stew:
33. When the meat is tender, remove the casserole from the oven and empty it's contents into a sieve set over a saucepan.
34. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it (discarding the bits of carrot and onion and herbs which remain in the sieve).
35. Distribute the mushrooms and onions over the meat.
36. Skim the fat off the surface an simmer it for a minute or two, skimming off any additional fat which rises to the surface.
37. You should be left with about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
38. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock.
39. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency.
40.Taste for seasoning.
41. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
42. If you are serving immediately, place the covered casserole over medium low heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
43. Serve in the casserole or on a warm platter surrounded by noodles, potatoes, or rice and garnished with fresh parsley.
44. If serving later or the next day, allow the casserole to cool and place cold, covered casserole in the refrigerator.
45. 20 minutes prior to serving, place over medium low heat and simmer very slowly for ten minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.