Winter Dinner for a Snowy Night
The snow has stopped falling and we’re having friends for dinner tonight. The streets are not really clear from the record snowfall but our guests are neighbors so they can walk if they have to.
I often go to my Silver Palate cookbooks to plan my menus. I particularly love The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook; it is divided by seasons which makes it easy and fun. The Silver Palate cookbooks were written in the ’80′s so I cut down on the amount of butter and salt they call for and the recipes are always tasty. Even though we’ve been eating non-stop and could do with just a salad for dinner I feel like a beef stew, beef bourguignon or something hearty, maybe it’s the weather… Since the markets are all out of bread I’m doing a Beef Pot Pie so the bread is built in! A nice salad to start and we’re all set.
I have never made or even eaten beef pot pie but I trust my Silver Palate cookbooks. Below is the recipe.
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
2 c. sliced carrots (1/2 inch thick)
5 small red potatoes, each cut into 8 pieces
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 c. dry red wine
1 c. beef broth
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1 t. dried thyme
2 T. dark brown sugar
8 oz. green beans, trimmed and cut in half
pastry for a single crust pie
milk
Preheat oven to 350. Heat butter and oil in large skillet. Brown the beef on all sides, a few pieces at a time. Remove to medium-size casserole. Saute onion and garlic in the same skillet for 2 minutes. Add to the casserole. Mix together flour salt and pepper and sprinkle over the beef and onions. Toss to coat thoroughly. Add the carrots, potatoes, mustard, wine, broth, vinegar, thyme, and brown sugar to the beef and stir. Heat to boiling over medium heat. Cover and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour. Remove the cover and bake for another 30 minutes.
Cook green beans in boiling water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Remove beef stew from oven. Increase the heat to 425. Stir beans into stew.
Pour the beef stew into a clean deep 2-quart casserole or souffle dish. Roll out the pastry and place on the top of the dish. Trim the pastry. Brush with milk and cut a steam vent in the center.
Bake until crust is golden, about 25 minutes.
FYI – I divided the stew into individual bowls, put the pie crust on top of each and then had individual portions. It was delicious, really hearty and a great meal. I would reduce the amount of vinegar next time and maybe ditch the pie crust and just serve with a great loaf of french bread.
We can not keep enough in stock.
I love Broadway shows so when I learned that our weekend guests scored 4 tickets for TIME STANDS STILL I was very excited. I knew nothing about it but a Broadway show is always a treat.