Making a good soup is like creating a good life, I think. Both have to start with a strong
foundation. In making a soup, I always
start out much the same way. This is
true whether I am making a simple tomato soup or rich Beef Bourguignon. With most soups, I
start out by chopping onion and garlic.
I almost always sauté these two ingredients with salt, black pepper and
red pepper flakes. From there I take different paths.
For my tomato soup,
I just want to sweat the onions and garlic not brown them. Then I add some anchovy and tomato paste and
let that cook for a minute or two then I deglaze with some broth. I normally use chicken or vegetable broth for
this soup. Then I add some crushed
tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato juice.
I don’t think I have made it the same way twice. Sometimes I will add some bread crumbs or
torn pieces of bread to thicken the soup.
I like to finish with some fresh herbs, basil being my favorite. I have also used crispy fried onions, cheese
or croutons to garnish. Really whatever
I have on hand generally works. I rarely
puree my soups. As in life, I find soups
more interesting with bits and pieces to chew on. I would find life pretty boring if there were
never any twists or turns, ups or downs, or bumps along the way.
Beef Bourguignon is one of my very favorite dishes to
create. I love that you can take a relatively
cheap cut of meat, add an inexpensive bottle of wine and the result is one of
the most elegant meals possible. The
whole process is labor intensive. There
is a meditative quality in all the chopping and browning that it takes to make
this dish. From start to finish, it
takes me a good 2 or 3 hours to get this stew in the oven. For me, it is an afternoon well spent. Add some music, a good friend and a glass of
wine and I don’t think it gets any better.
My Beef Bourguignon starts with preparation of the
beef. I use chuck roast. After cutting the meat into about 1 ½ or 2
inch cubes and patting them dry with a paper towel, I season them thoroughly
with salt and pepper on all sides. Then
I render several slices of bacon in my French Oven. I remove the bacon and add some olive oil to
the bacon fat. Then I start to brown the
cubes of seasoned meat. I brown it on
all sides. This means I stay by the pot
and watch the meat, turn it, then watch it some more. As with any new endeavor, it takes attention
and time to begin. It can take two or
three batches to get all of the meat browned.
This is not a step you want to skip it makes a big difference in the
result.
After all the meat has been properly browned and removed
from the pot, I add some chopped onion along with some salt. I like to brown the onions. I think it adds a depth of flavor I really
enjoy in this dish. When the onions are
almost where I want them, I add some more seasoning. Typically I use some chopped garlic, red
pepper flakes and fresh thyme. I let
that mixture go for a couple of minutes then add some mushrooms if I’m using
them and then some carrots. After about
five minutes more, I deglaze the pan with some red wine. I use a good drinkable red wine, something
like a shiraz
When the pan is deglazed, I add the bacon and meat back into
the pot. I add the rest of the bottle of
wine and beef stock to bring the liquid almost to the top of the meat, but not
covering it. I add a little more salt,
pepper and a few bay leaves. If I’m
going to add some frozen pearl onions, this is when I would add them. After bringing it up to boil, I turn it down
to a slow simmer for about 30 minutes or so.
Then I put the lid on the pot and place it in a 325 degree oven for
about 1 ½ hours.
At this point, I have laid a strong foundation for this dish
and can turn my attentions elsewhere for a time. After the oven time has
elapsed I take the pot from the oven and put it back on top of the stove. While the stew is coming up to a boil, I
combine room temperature butter and flour in equal amounts forming a paste. I thicken the stew with the paste using 2 or
3 tablespoons. Now it can go back into a
low oven or stay on the stovetop until you are ready for it. I like to serve it with buttered noodles or
mashed potatoes. It is really good
simply with some crusty bread along side as well. Finish it with a flourish of fresh chopped
parsley and you have a meal fit for any table.
The table that is my life has been adorned with an array of
complex, comforting and sometime bitter dishes.
Several years ago, I had a total life change. I closed by business that had been my life
for more than seven years. I sold my
home I had lived in for a decade along with the land which had been in my
family since I was a teenager. My 14
year relationship came to an end and I met my new love who later became my
spouse. All of this happened within a
two year time frame. In some ways, it
felt like it was going to be the end of me.
If it wasn’t for my foundation of faith in God, friends and family, it
might have.
Today, I am once again happy and fulfilled. I love my job, my home and of course my
spouse. Together, she and I are building a new
foundation of love and life. We have a
group of family and friends that I wouldn’t trade for anything. My life is now like a rich beautiful Beef
Bourguignon full of depth and flavor. As
for my soup, I’ll take it rustic, no puree here please.
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