A surprise Carbonnade de Boeuf

Thursday last while Meg was airborne to Mumbai I caught a ride on the tailwind of her flight, to England. Meg’s trip is a long anticipated retreat in Pune in India with Frances Murchison of Mindfully Fed, and also a spice information gathering mission. My calling to England was to show up at a surprise party for my Mum’s 65th birthday.

So our 4th post in January goes to my parents, who have always gracefully consented to our penchant for globe trotting and it’s a good moment to show them our gratitude.

My love of travel planning and exploring comes from my Dad, who we nicknamed “Compass White” (White being my maiden name) because no summer vacation would have been real without him being glued to a map. Equally, my love of food comes from watching my Mum fearlessly tackle and dress a fresh whole salmon to feed two dozen friends.

So their willingness to hop on a plane and transplant themselves annually to Chicago meant that during Meg and my zen of slow cooking Farmers’ Market debut last Summer, it became a real family affair. Our production line included Mum ensuring labels and ribbon on our Organic Zen Blends passed quality control, while Dad kept an eye on Connie my 4 year old. (Although she managed to escape all of our notice at some point and gave herself a little hair cut.) It’s affirming for Meg and I to have immediate family members closely connected to our business.

So my birthday surprise for my Mum this year also included the gift of a first slow cooker. This week’s recipe, Carbonnade de Boeuf (Beef in Beer) is one of her Winter favorites I loved to watch bubble for hours in the oven before being topped with slices of french bread spread with dijon mustard. It would arrive at the table in the pot and be ladled onto large plates. I serve it with steamed, al-dente green cabbage. Shred any beef leftovers in your slow cooker and mix with cooked macaroni.

Prep Time 15-20 minutes     Cooking Time 5 hours HIGH or 10 hours LOW        Servings 6

Ingredients

2 tbsp light olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 lbs beef chuck steak, cubed into 1″ pieces, trimmed of fat
2 large onions / 4 cups chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
16 fl oz / 2 cups beer / stout (I used milk stout)

topping
1 french baguette, 1/2″ slices  (I used a part baked one)
1 tbsp dijon mustard

In a heavy skillet or frying pan, heat the oil and butter over a medium heat. Add the cubed beef, turn to high heat and sauté for 2 minutes. Turn the beef and sauté for a further 2 minutes until you see a brown crust appearing at the edges. Transfer the meat to your slow cooker with a slotted spoon.

Add the onions to the beef juices in the skillet and sauté for 1 minute.

Add the garlic, sugar, thyme, bay, flour, salt & pepper to the onions and stir before transferring to the browned beef in your slow cooker.

Stir in the beer. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours or LOW for 10 hours.

Slice and toast the french baguette and spread with dijon mustard. Place on top of the Carbonnade de Boeuf and allow to soak up the sauce for 5 minutes before serving.

Adapted from The Food of France cookbook.

Zen Moment

“To give someone a blessing is the most significant affirmation we can offer.”
– Henri Nouwen