beef | Catrine Kelty Food Stylist

When one thinks of Italian food, spaghetti and meatballs comes to mind. It’s a great go-to recipe when you have a crowd or a pot luck dinner. It can be made in advance, it’s easy to reheat, and everybody loves it from the youngest to the oldest member in the family. If you are vegetarian or want a lighter meal you can skip the meatballs and only have the sauce. It is simple, fast and I tend to make a big batch so I can freeze it or reheat it later in the week. Make sure you use San Marzano tomatoes as the taste will make all the difference!

MEATBALL SAUCE

FOR THE SAUCE:

2 – 28oz crushed tomatoes
1- 28oz whole tomatoes coarsely chopped or cut in the pot with kitchen scissors
3 onions diceds
4 garlic cloves minced
1 cup red wine
1 tablespoon italian seasonings or one teaspoon each of dried basil, thyme and oregano
salt and pepper

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large stockpot or dutch oven. Add onions and sautée until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, stir and add the wine and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes if you opt not to make meatballs. If you do, simmer the sauce while making the meatballs and don’t worry about timing.

FOR THE MEATBALLS (makes about 30 -2 inches meatballs)

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
3/4 lb ground veal
3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of milk
1 onion minced
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup parsley minced
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup fresh grated parmesan
salt and pepper
1/2 cup flour

In a small bowl mix the breadcrumbs and milk and let sit for 10 minutes while mincing onion, garlic and parsley.

In a large bowl mix meats, breadcrumb/milk mixture, onion, garlic, parsley, parmesan and egg making sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed without over mixing. Season with salt and pepper.

Put the flour in a shallow plate. Shape the meat mixture into 2 inches round balls. Roll each balls in the flour to get them covered slightly and place in a baking dish. You should roughly end up with 30 meatballs. When done, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan and brown the meatballs. Depending on the size of your pan you might have to do this in 2 to 3 batches. You don’t want to cook the meatballs, only browned them. As they get ready slowly put them in the simmering sauce. When all done, continue to simmer for another 30 to 45 minutes to finish cooking the meatballs.

Right before serving you can chop 1/4 cup of fresh basil and stir into the sauce. Serve with fresh pasta: thick spaghetti, bucatin or fettuccine and lots of grated parmesan, nice crusty bread and a bottle of red wine.

NOTE: as this recipe makes a lot, you can freeze some of the leftovers for later or crush the meatballs in the sauce and use it as a base for a meat lasagna.

From my kitchen to yours,

CK, la fille du boucher

As I am moving into the new year and recovering from the flu I am drawn to less complicated foods. The days are not as short as they were a month ago, but the cold still makes me want comfort food – slow food, braised meats, and sauces I can dip big chunks of crusty bread in. Boeuf Bourguignon comes to mind, a comfort dish served often in the winter in my childhood. This dish can be served family-style on a weeknight or for company on the weekend. I like to serve it with a side of sautéed green beans and roasted potatoes. It is also good with mashed potatoes or on its own with a tossed salad at the end of the meal. No matter what, do not forget the bread!! If you have the patience, serve it a day later as all the flavors will be enhanced after sitting an extra day in the fridge.

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON (serves 6 to 8 )

4 pounds beef chuck (roast or steak) cut into one inch cubes
8 oz bacon cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 cups chopped onions
3 cups beef stock
3 cups red wine
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
salt, pepper
3 tablespoon flour
4 carrots peeled, cut into 2 inch matchstick
2 cups pearl onions ( I use frozen one that I thaw before using or you can use fresh ones, drop them in boiling water to loosen the skin and peel. Place in a sauteed pan, cover with water half way and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender)
10 oz mushrooms quartered
3 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped italian parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degree.

In a large dutch oven sautée the bacon until nicely browned. With a slotted spoon transfer the bacon to a plate with paper towel to drain. Transfer all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat to a small heatproof dish. Sautée the beef in the remaining tablespoon of bacon fat until brown on all sides. You might have to do this in 2 to 3 batches as you don’t want to crowd the pan. Transfer the beef into a separate dish as you brown it, adding more bacon fat as needed in the dutch oven. Once the meat is all browned, add a bit more fat in the pan and sautée the onions until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Dust the pan with the 3 tablespoon of flour and cook for about 2 minutes making sure the flour absorbs all the moisture in the pan. Quickly whisk in the stock and wine, making sure there are no flour lumps and bring to a slow boil while stirring. The sauce will thicken slightly. Whisk in the tomato paste. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper and the thyme. Transfer the beef and bacon back into the pan, cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours.

In the meantime prepare the vegetables. In a pot of boiling water blanch the carrots for 5 minutes, drain in a colander, rinse under cold water, and set aside. In a large sautée pan melt 2 tablespoon of the butter and sautée the quartered mushrooms until golden and crispy around the edges ( about 15 minutes ), put aside. In the same pan, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and sautée the pearl onions until they are a nice golden color ( about 10 minutes) and set aside.

When the Bourguignon is done, stir the vegetables in and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Taste and seasoned with more salt and pepper if needed. Add the chopped parsley before serving. Should you decide to eat it the next day, let it cool to room temperature, keep in the dutch oven or transfer to a container, and refrigerate until ready to serve. You can reheat in the oven or on top of the stove, stirring once in a while to make sure the bottom of the dutch oven does not burn.

NOTE: Why cut a piece a beef rather than buying already prepared stew meat? The stew meat from the supermarket is often from different cuts of beef that will not cook the same way thus sometime causing “tough” pieces in the stew.

From my kitchen to yours,

CK, la fille du boucher

Catrine Kelty Food Stylist

la fille du boucher / the butcher's daughter

Category Archives: beef

Meatball sauce

Boeuf Bourguignon