Roger's View of the World, Love and Seafood Gumbo!
Seize the Day! Put no trust in the morrow! — Horace
Anniversaries are times to remember and reflect. Wedding anniversaries are amazing things and if you are happy and busy… They roll around quickly and unexpectedly.
I sit here thankful for someone who has been a great friend and brought a sincere sweetness to my life.
Happy Anniversary Honey!
People who know me know I love these “one pot meals”. They seem to call to me from some long lost time when we all had a single pot on the fire and threw a bit of today’s catch in to help complete a meal.
“Beef with Bourguignon” is simply cooked cubes of seared beef with broth and wine ( I simply use Pinot Noir… But others suggest “Cote du Rhone”, Cabernet Savignon or any handy red) and a few veggies along with typical seasonings that go well with beef.
The process is fairly straightforward . Besides a lot of peeling, there is the slow cooking that tenderizes the beef and blends the flavors!
Personally, I like to sauté the ingredients beforehand after peeling and sear the beef! So in the tradition of the one pot meal ( think: Stone Soup) here are the basics:
Several pounds of cubed beef. Searing will convert some of the flesh to sugar and toughen the meat, but the long cooking will tenderize it.
French Trinity: diced large onion, sliced carrots and chopped celery.
About four shallots
A couple bunches of green onions sliced
Crushed garlic
( can you tell I love onions?)
Beef stock
sauteed mushrooms
Wine ( equal to beef Stock) enough to submerge what you are cooking!
Potatoes diced
Baby Turnips (under 2″ in diameter) sliced (peal then place on flat spot and slice about 1/4″)
Seasonings: thyme, rosemary, white pepper, black pepper, garlic powder and sage. I add some chopped parsley. Personally, I love the taste of Fenugreek ( spice of the Greeks) and I add this at the end of the process.
In my crockpot this takes about 6 hours on high… The I turn it down to low. I find it wonderfully satisfying!
Bon Appetite !!
Good wishes and much gratitude to the 2 million Bikers riding on Washington DC today. Should be fun!
Social Neuroscientist John Cacciopo discusses the value of social connectivity and the destructiveness of loneliness… And what his and others research say about it.
Definitely worth 15 minutes out of your day!
Time is the most valuable thing on earth: time to think, time to act, time to extend our fraternal relations, time to become better men, time to become better women, time to become better and more independent citizens.—Samuel Gompers, on the 8 hour work day
