The Cookbook

[George K]

Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon (Julia Child Recipe)

1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces (170g) bacon, roughly chopped
3 pounds (1 1/2 kg) beef brisket, trimmed of fat (chuck steak or stewing beef) cut into 2-inch chunks
1 large carrot sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 large white onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced (divided)
1 pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons flour
12 small pearl onions (optional)
3 cups red wine like Merlot, Pinot Noir, or a Chianti -- for a milder sauce, use only 2 cups of wine
2-3 cups beef stock (if using 2 cups of wine, use 3 cups beef stock)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 beef bullion cube, crushed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped (divided)
2 bay leaves
1 pound fresh small white or brown mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons butter

Set Instant Pot or Cooker to SEAR function (or use a pan on the stove over medium heat of you wish). Sauté the bacon in 1 tablespoon of oil until crisp and browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Pat dry beef with paper towel; sear in batches until browned on all sides in the oil/bacon fat.

Return bacon to the pot. Season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Sprinkle with flour, toss well and cook on SEAR for a further 4-5 minutes to brown.

Add in the onions, pearl onions, carrots, wine, 2 cups of stock, tomato paste, 4 cloves minced garlic, bullion and herbs. Stir well, cover and lock the lid into place. Press Keep Warm/Cancel to stop the Sauté function, then set to MANUAL mode. Choose HIGH PRESSURE for 30 minutes cook time.

After cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally for 8-10 minutes. Open the valve and allow and remaining steam to escape (for Instant Pot, turn the valve from sealing to venting to release the pressure).

While steam is releasing, prepare your buttered mushrooms (OPTIONAL -- or add them straight in without cooking in butter if desired): Heat the butter in a medium-sized skillet/pan over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 cloves garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add in the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, while shaking the pan occasionally to coat with the butter. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Set aside.

Change the Instant Pot or cooker setting back to the SEAR setting (or SAUTE) stir well and allow the sauce to thicken uncovered, for a further 5-10 minutes.

Add the buttered mushrooms, garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.

[George K]

This actually came out pretty good, but I have some criticisms.

First of all, I wanted some potatoes, so I threw in some quartered baby reds. They came out mushy.

And speaking of mushy, the whole thing was kind of mushy. Mrs. George approved of the taste, but not the texture.

Next time I'm feeling industrious, I'll make it the tradition way that takes 3 hours (or more) and throw the spuds in for the last hour or so.

[Mik]

Instant Pot is fast, but lacks finesse. Everything can get mushy fast. That particular dish is worth taking the traditional time to develop the flavors, especially the wine flavors.

[George K]

Tonight's Dinner:

https://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/julia-child-coq-au-vin-recipe/

Coq au vin:

Ingredients:

4 slices thick cut bacon
3 lbs chicken breasts and legs, skin on (two breasts and two drumsticks)
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary, minced
2 cups red wine
2 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
10 oz sliced mushrooms
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt (or, to taste)

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Fry the bacon over medium heat in a dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot. After it’s fried, remove the bacon and place on paper towels to drain. Once cool, chop bacon and set aside. Keep the bacon grease in the pot.

Turn heat to high and place chicken, skin-side down in the pot. Sear chicken until golden brown on both sides, about eight minutes. Then, add the onions, garlic, bay leaves and rosemary. Continue sautéing until the onions begin to soften, about six minutes.

Add the chicken broth and red wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, carefully remove the chicken from the pot and place in an oven-safe dish. Keep chicken warm in the oven while you work on the sauce.

Stir the flour and butter (butter should melt instantly in the pot) into the red wine sauce. Bring back up to a boil and stir constantly----sauce should be begin to thicken. Add mushrooms, chopped bacon, salt and pepper and continue cooking for 10-12 minutes. Keep in mind that the sauce will also thicken up a bit when it cools.

Place chicken back in sauce and serve with roasted potatoes, noodles or a big green salad

Da Chicken...

.

Da Sauce...

I haven't made Coq au vin in years. Certainly not since we moved into the condo in 2009.

We haven't had it yet, but I sampled the sauce - WONDERFUL!

[George K]

[Mik]

Looks great. I'm having cereal ad blackberries.

[Catseye3]

I'm having where in the hell did I leave my Kindle!!! Where! Where! Where!!!

[George K]

@mik said in The Cookbook:

Looks great.

Next time, and there will be a next time...

1. No reason for bone-in chicken. However, the skin adds flavor.

2. More salt in the sauce.

Mrs. George approves, because it's brown.

[Mik]

It's a rainy fall Sunday, so a nice time for a 4 hour braise.

https://www.thekitchenmagpie.com/osso-bucco-braised-beef-shanks-recipe/

[Mik]

Twas delicious. I only cooked it a little less than four hours but the sauce was sooo silky and delicious. Changes I made were:

Twice the wine
Mushroom stock instead of beef
Half again the garlic. I used whole cloves since it was a long braise
A good amount of umami powder.

The beef shanks were from Wild Fork. I would say it was a richer dish than veal Osso Buco.

[George K]

I made chili today (I make a huge batch, and freeze it in lunch-sized portions).

I thought I had posted this earlier, but apparently I hadn't.

Instant Pot Chili - lb's version (yes, lb)

1 1/2 Pounds Ground Beef
6 Strips of Bacon (good quality), chopped
1 Can (15 ounces) Kidney Beans, drained
1 Can (15 ounces) Pinto beans, drained
1 Can (15 ounces) Black beans, drained
1 Can (15 ounces) Fire Roasted diced tomatoes with juice
1 Can (6 ounce) Tomato paste
1 large Red onion, chopped
1 Red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Jalapeño, seeded and minced *optional
2 Cups Beef stock
1 Tablespoon Dried oregano
2 Teaspoons ground cumin
2 Teaspoons Kosher salt
1 Teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon Minced garlic

Turn your instant pot to sauté and add the bacon.

Cook until crisp, stirring often to cook evenly.

Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.

Add the onions and peppers and cook until tender.

Add the meat and cook until browned.

Drain off any excess grease, we just tilt the pot and use a large spoon.

Add all of the remaining ingredients and 3/4 of the bacon and stir to combine.

Turn the instant pot to chili (if you don't have a "chili" settng, use the "manual" setting) and cook for 18-20 minutes*. Allow pressure to release for 10-15 minutes or quick release with the vent.

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I had bought a jalapeño last week, but by today, it had gone bad - moldy, etc. I was crushed. So, I substituted some red pepper flakes - a LOT, probably about 3 tablespoons.

Other things

• double the oregano
• throw in about 2 tablespoons of clinatro
• if it's soupy, thicken up with some cornstarch/water

Also, rather than 1 ½ lb of ground beef, I used 2 lb, and when browning, I tried to keep it in larger "chunks".

I got 9 lunch - sized containers out of this, and it came out pretty darn good.

[George K]

Instant Pot Brussel Sprouts - lb's version

2 lb brussel sprouts
¼ lb bacon
large Vidalia onion - diced
salt
pepper
liquid smoke
honey
20 oz chicken broth

Saute 1/4 lb bacon with a large diced Vidalia onion.

Add in the Brussel Sprouts, salt, pepper, one tsp liquid smoke, two tblsp honey, and around 20 oz chicken broth.

Set instant pot for three minutes then instant release.
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Made it today. Pretty good, but...

Cook bacon first to get it crisp, then add onion.

Don't over cook the brussel sprouts. I let it go for about 5 minutes, and didn't release pressure for another 5. They came out soft.

You cannot taste the honey or liquid smoke at all.

[Mik]

Baked ravioli tonight, requested by MFR. it is absolutely delicious, but it makes a lot. We will be eating it all week.

https://www.parents.com/recipe/baked-ravioli/

[George K]

Oven Roasted Baby Red Potatoes

3 lbs baby red potatoes unpeeled
2 Tbsp extra light olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dry parsley
1 tsp sea salt or 3/4 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic pressed

Cut potatoes into 1" to 1 1/2" pieces. We didn't cut the really tiny taters. Place them in a large pot half full with warm water. Bring potatoes to a boil and cook for 7-9 minutes (they should be almost cooked) Drain, cover to keep warm, and set aside

In a small bowl, mix together 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1 1/2 tsp dry parsley, 1 tsp sea salt (or 3/4 tsp table salt) and 1/2 tsp black pepper.

Gently Toss potatoes with the seasoning mix until evenly coated (it helps to use a large mixing bowl for tossing).

Transfer potatoes to a large rimmed, non-stick baking pan and place cut side down. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes or until the sides facing the pan are golden. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with chopped fresh dill if desired and serve.

My notes: Very tasty, and boiling the spuds in water before finishing them is a very nice touch.

But...20 minutes is not enough time to get them crispy and golden. I'd double the time.

[George K]

Tonight's dinner:

Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken

8 oz mushrooms
4 cloves garlic
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Parsley for garnish (optional)

Wash and slice the mushrooms. Mince the garlic. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium, then add a tablespoon of cooking oil. Swirl the oil to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the chicken thighs to the skillet and cook until golden brown on each side and cooked through (about 5 minutes per side). Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add the minced garlic to the skillet and sauté for one minute, or just until the garlic softens. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 5-7 minutes more, or until the mushrooms have wilted. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and stir to dissolve all the browned bits off the bottom.

Add the half and half to the skillet and bring it up to a simmer. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer the liquid, stirring often, for about five minutes. Stir in the Parmesan until it has melted in.

Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper if needed. Add the chicken back to the skillet, drench with sauce, and heat over low until warmed through. Top with fresh parsley for garnish, if desired.

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I had some large breasts (no, don't go there) which I cut into smaller pieces. I also didn't have fresh 'shrooms, so I used (gasp!) out-of-the-jar 'shrooms.

I also didn't have any half-and-half, so I used ½ cup of heavy cream and ½ cup of milk.

Came out pretty good.

[George K]

By the way...

When "adjusting to taste" be careful. I added a fair amount of salt and pepper before adding the part. I almost over-did it.

[Mik]

Jar mushrooms are handy to have around. That dish needs some dry white wine to deglaze the pan.

[George K]

@mik said in The Cookbook:

Jar mushrooms are handy to have around.

Indeed. I had some week-old "fresh" 'shrooms. They looked a bit slimy, and I thought, "Nope."

That dish needs some dry white wine to deglaze the pan.

Yeah, but I didn't want to open a bottle of (even cheap) wine. So, the broth did the trick.

What surprised me is that Mrs George approved. As I've said, she's not a "saucy" (no, don't go there either) person. She cut the chicken breast up into bite-sized pieces and spooned the sauce over it, as well as over some oven-roasted potatoes I made.

I have the feeling if I introduced her to some Northern Italian food, she'd approve.

[Mik]

I’m making an Italian dish tomorrow - pork braised in milk. Supposed to be amazing but we will see.

[Catseye3]

@mik said in The Cookbook:

I’m making an Italian dish tomorrow - pork braised in milk >

Bon Appetit has a recipe; I won't post it, assuming you have your own already. See below for the cite. Here are some readers' comments:

This recipe is the real deal. Don't deviate from it, and don't try to "fix" the sauce when it breaks. It's supposed to break!
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OMG, the number of reviewers who destroyed the curds by blending them out!! This is a crime against rustic cooking. The curds are integral, velvety chunks of deliciousness. Please don’t destroy them — enjoy the dish as an Italian grandmother intended, lovely & lumpy.
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I bashed some grains of paradise in with the salt that the roast marinated in, for an extra bit of zip . . . This was FABULOUS. The milk sauce is heaven. Served it with fondant potatoes and balsamic broccoli ( roughly inspired by BA's Broccoli Strascinati recipe with dried fruit and almonds).

(He wrote BA meaning Bon Appetet, but at first I interpreted it to stand for Bucs' coach Bruce Arians; that's how the sports writers refer to him, LOL.)
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Don't be scared to use a little pepper too. Also, much of the flavor comes from the hard sear.
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I put the pork under the broiler while it was resting to get a crispy skin.

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/maiale-al-latte-milk-braised-pork