Beef and Guinness Stew

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
2 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.9 ounces) can dark beer (such as Guinness®)
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
2 1/2 cups chicken stock, or as needed to cover
4 cups mashed potatoes (optional)

Directions:

1.Cook and stir bacon in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until bacon is browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off heat and transfer bacon into a large stew pot, reserving bacon fat in the skillet.

2.Season beef chuck cubes generously with 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste. Turn heat to high under skillet and sear beef pieces in the hot fat on both sides until browned, about 5 minutes. Place beef in a stew pot with bacon, leaving fat in skillet. Turn heat down to medium; cook and stir onions in the retained fat in the skillet until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes; season with a large pinch of salt.

3.Cook garlic with onions until soft, about 1 minute; pour beer into the skillet and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up and dissolving any browned bits of food into the liquid. Pour cooking liquid from skillet into the stew pot. Stir in tomato paste, thyme sprigs, carrots, celery, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and enough chicken broth to cover.

4.Bring stew to a gentle simmer, stirring to combine; reduce heat to low and cover pot. Simmer stew until beef is fork-tender, about 2 hours. Stir stew occasionally and skim fat or foam if desired.

5.Remove cover and raise heat to medium-high. Bring stew to a low boil and cook until stew has slightly thickened 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

6.Arrange mashed potatoes in a ring in a serving bowl; ladle stew into the center of the potatoes.

Beef Goulash

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
2 teaspoons caraway seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups chicken broth, divided
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 bay leaf

Directions:


1.Season beef with salt and black pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat; cook and stir beef in hot oil in batches until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a large stockpot and reserve drippings in the skillet.

2.Return skillet to medium heat; stir onions into the reserved drippings, drizzle olive oil over onions, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until the onion has softened about 5 minutes. Transfer to the stockpot with beef.

3.Combine paprika, caraway seeds, black pepper, marjoram, thyme, and cayenne pepper in the skillet and toast over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken broth and stir; transfer to the beef and onion mixture.

4.Stir 3 cups chicken broth into beef mixture. Add tomato paste, garlic, vinegar, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bay leaf; place stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until a fork inserts easily into the meat, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1/2-inch thick strips
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 medium onion, sliced or diced
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups beef broth, divided
3/4 cup creme fraiche
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.Season beef generously with salt and pepper.

2.Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat until nearly smoking. Stir in beef; cook, stirring constantly, for 6-7 minutes, until liquid evaporates and meat browns. Remove meat from the pan and set aside.

3.Stir butter, mushrooms and onions into the pan; cook and stir over medium heat until the vegetables are lightly browned. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in flour; cook for 1-2 minutes until incorporated.

4.Stir in wine and 1 cup of stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits. Bring to a simmer, cook for 3-4 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

5.Return beef to the pan. Stir in remaining cup of stock; bring to a simmer and cook on low heat for about 1 hour with the lid on, until the beef is tender and the sauce is thick. Stir every 20 minutes.

6.Stir in creme fraiche. Stir in chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

NOTE:
Serve over buttered noodles.

Coq Au Vin

Ingredients:

6 Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 pinch kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 ounces bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
10 large button mushrooms, quartered 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
2 shallots, sliced
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons butter
1 1/2 cups red wine
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2.Season chicken thighs all over with salt and black pepper.

3.Place bacon in a large, oven-proof skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving drippings in the skillet.

4.Increase heat to high and place chicken, skin-side down, into skillet. Cook in a hot skillet until browned, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate; drain and discard all but 1 tablespoon drippings from the skillet.

5.Lower heat to medium-high; saute mushrooms, onion, and shallots with a pinch of salt in the hot skillet until golden and caramelized, 7 to 12 minutes.

6.Stir flour and butter into vegetable mixture until completely incorporated, about 1 minute.

7.Pour red wine into the skillet and bring to a boil while scraping browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir bacon and thyme into red wine mixture; simmer until wine is about 1/3 reduced, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour chicken broth into wine mixture and set chicken thighs into skillet; bring wine and stock to a simmer.

8.Cook chicken in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Spoon pan juices over the chicken and continue cooking until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Transfer chicken to a platter.

9.Place skillet over high heat and reduce pan juices, skimming fat off the top as necessary, until sauce thickens slightly about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; remove and discard thyme. Pour sauce over chicken.

Chicken and Olives

INGREDIENTS:

8 chicken thighs, skin-on, and bone-in, about 3 1/2 pounds
 Salt and pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
1 tablespoon roughly chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 Meyer lemons, cut in wedges
1 cup flavorful olives with pits, a mixture of black and green, about 1 pound
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped parsley

PREPARATION:

1.Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season well with salt and pepper and place in an earthenware baking dish in one layer, skin side up. Sprinkle with red pepper, garlic, fennel and rosemary and drizzle with olive oil. Rub seasoning into thighs on all sides. Tuck lemon wedges here and there. Let marinate for 15 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2.Put baking dish in the oven, uncovered, and roast until skin browns lightly, about 20 minutes. Scatter olives evenly over chicken and add broth. Cover tightly and bake for 1 hour, until meat is very tender when probed with a skewer.

3.Remove thighs and lemon wedges and arrange on a platter. Keep warm. Pour pan juices into a saucepan and quickly skim fat from surface. Over high heat, simmer rapidly until reduced by half. Spoon juices over chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
8 ounces crimini or porcini mushrooms, stemmed and halved
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1.Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them; pound with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.

2.Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

3.Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, saute for 1 minute to render out some of the fat. Now, add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients:

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1.Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

2.In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook the other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in the same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

3.Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock, and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to a platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.