Stew Weather is Back

The weather has been getting a little cooler and I have the goal of not turning on the furnace until November 1st. I've already slightly "blown it". Friday was gray, rainy and bone-chilling. I turned it on for just a little while to get the chill out of the house. Due to this hefty goal, I am more than ready for some hearty stews and soups to warm the body and the soul . This one was easy and delicious. Unfortunatly, there is not a recipe, per se.

Here's the jist.

I purchased stew meat already cut into hunks. I dried it with some paper towels (made from recycled paper, of course) and lightly floured it. In a skillet, I heated some extra-virgin olive oil and some butter. I placed the floured meat into skillet and browned the pieces on all sides. You want to do this is small batches. Don't crowd the meat or it will not brown properly. Once brown, remove from skillet and place into your cooking vessel. We found this old speckleware dutch oven in our basement. Mom, apparently, left it behind. It was the perfect size. Now I added sweet onion that was chopped into fairly large pieces, mushrooms, red pepper sliced into thin strips, herbs de provence into the skillet and sauteed until the onions were soft. I then, deglazed the pan with a delicious cherry wine to get all of the good and tasty bits from the bottom. Add 2 T. of tomato paste and salt/pepper to taste and some beef broth. Simmer for a few minutes to get all of the flavors to meld. While this was going on, I diced some potatoes and some carrots from our garden. I just threw these raw into the dutch oven with the meat. Once the broth mixture had simmered for a few minutes, I poured it over the meat and potatoes. Into the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour. I then reduce the tempurature to 275 degrees and bake for another hour. Slow and Low is the way to cook this meal.

A few helpful hints:
-You don't have to buy the most expensive meat for beef stew. We have purchased some inexpensive roasts and cut the meat ourselves and it turns out just as good.
- Salt and pepper throughout the process and be sure to taste along the way, making any needed adjustments to the seasonings.
-You can use any wine that you like but cherry wine seems to add a really unique and deep flavor. We have used it many times in this dish and it is delicious!
-We love Victoria Taylor's Herbs de Provence. The spices can be purchased at TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Home Goods or online. There is a link on this webpage. We love the dried shallots, Sicilian and Tuscan seasonings, as well.

Poulet A La Moutarde De Dijon (Chicken in Mustard Sauce)

Tearing recipes out of magazines appears to be hobby of mine. It didn't begin as a hobby but, over time, this pile of recipes grew into what could now be called a collection. This is the pile known as, "I'll make it someday". I love to try new recipes but sometimes the idea never becomes reality. I get in a hurry and rely on old standards just to get a meal on the table. One of the great things about this blog is that is forces me out of my comfort zone and into a whole new world. It allows me to rediscover what simple, well prepared food really is.

I didn't have to work yesterday so I had all day to decide what to cook. It became like a bad case of writer's block. I couldn't think of anything. Do you ever have those days when you just can't decide what you're in the mood for? I went through "the collection" and nothing really caught my fancy. Then I remembered that tucked back into a sleeve of a folder was a recipe for a chicken in mustard sauce. I tore it out of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion probably five or more years ago. I only tore out the page with the recipe so I can't tell you when it was published or who the recipe belongs to. What I can tell you is that this recipe is definitely going to be a repeat performer. It was simple to prepare, required few ingredients, was visually stimulating and tasted fabulous! Now I can't wait for my next excuse to have my family over for dinner.

Note: Because I don't know who authored the original recipe, I am printing it with the original ingredient list but will use my descriptions,instructions and modifications to tell you how I prepared it.

Poulet A La Moutarde De Dijon (Chicken in Mustard Sauce)

1 chicken (3 1/2 to 4 lbs), cut up, (breasts halved)

salt and pepper

2 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

1 C. sour cream or creme fraiche

1 T. dijon mustard

1 C. white wine

1 T. chopped,fresh tarragon

Modifications: I used boneless,skinless chicken breasts lightly dredged in flour and cubed since I was in a hurry and the chicken would cook faster. I used Bohemian Highway's California Pinot Grigio 2006 as my wine. I also added some chopped vidalia onion,shallots, and garlic and substituted dried,organic tarragon for the fresh.

In a heavy skillet, melt butter with oil and place the chicken that has been lighted floured. Add salt and pepper,onions,shallots and garlic along with the tarragon. Cook over a medium to medium-high heat until chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. Remove chicken to a plate.Deglaze the pan with the wine. Then add the mustard and sour cream and mix gently. Allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes. Add the chicken back to the pan so that each piece is well covered with the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste and continue to simmer for a few minutes. Plate it with some of the tarragon or some fresh parsley for garnish.

Serve with a nice green veggie, perhaps asparagus and/or glazed carrots, and a good, crusty bread.