Boeuf Bourguignon
After many years of searching and testing, we came to the conclusion that the legendary Julia Child had the definitive recipe. And we're not the only ones. Thomas Kellar, the brilliant Chef-Patron of the French Laundry in Napa Valley, California, also says that it's his go-to recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon. The best pan to use for a Boeuf Bourguignon is a Le Creuset cast iron as it spreads the heat quickly and evenly.
Serves 6
Ingredients and Method
180g piece of streaky bacon
Remove the rind and cut the bacon into lardons. Simmer the rind and bacon in 750ml water for 10 minutes. Drain and dry.
Preheat the oven to 220°C.
A large oven-proof pan
1 Tablespoon olive or sunflower oil
A slotted spoon
Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2-3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Leave the oven-proof pan on the heat until the fat is almost smoking to sauté the beef.
1,5kg lean stewing steak, cut into 5cm cubes
Dry the beef; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.
1 tsp salt
30g flour
¼ tsp pepper
Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle in the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Place the casserole in the middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole and turn oven down to 160°C.
750ml full-bodied young red wine or a Chianti
500-600ml brown beef stock
1 Tbl tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
½ tsp thyme
1 crumbled bay leaf
the blanched bacon rind
Stir in the wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to simmering point on top of stove. Then cover the casserole and place in the lower part of preheated oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3-4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
18-24 small onions, brown braised in stock
500g quartered fresh mushrooms, sautéed in butter
While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Leave them aside until needed.
When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.
Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer the sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 600ml sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
(*) Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.
Parsley sprigs
FOR IMMEDIATE SERVING
Cover the casserole and simmer for 2-3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a dish surrounded with boiled potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley.
FOR SERVING LATER
When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15-20 minutes before serving, bring to simmering point, cover and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours
Wine advice: Villa Wolf - Pinot Noir
Venison Stew
Venison season is beginning. We often find the flavour too strong or are not sure how to treat it. This recipe for a comforting stew made with young venison, is the best place to start.
serves 3
Ingredients
750g Amsterdam 'damhert' venison or young venison for stewing
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 carrot
2 sticks celery
2 sprigs thyme
1 bottle dark beer
1 chicken stock cube
1 jar baby onions with ‘appelstroop’
250g penoni pasta
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley
5 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Method
Preheat an oven to 150°C. Finely chop the onion, garlic, carrot and celery.
Heat a pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Dry the venison on kitchen papier and season with salt and pepper. Fry in the hot pan until browned. Don’t overcrowd the pan. It’s better to fry the venison in two batches. Place the browned meat in a bowl and set aside.
Add the chopped vegetables to the pan with 2 extra tablespoons olive oi and sweat for 7-10 minutes. Add the thyme sprigs, beer, chicken stock cube, 750 ml water and black pepper to the pan. Bring to the boil and add the meat. Cover with a piece of grease proof paper and place the pan in the oven.
After two and a half hours, add the baby onions and 1 tablespoon of their juices to the stew. Return to the oven for a further 30 minutes until the meat is soft and tender. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil.
Cook the pasta for about 10-12 minutes until al dente. Drain the pasta and return to the pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Finely chop the parsley. Mix the pasta through the stew and half the parsley. Divide between 3 plates, sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve.
Nederlands
voor 3 personen
Ingrediënten
750gr Amsterdams damhert stoofvlees
1 ui
2 teentjes knoflook
1 peen
2 stengels bleekselderij
2 takjes tijm
1 fles bok bier
1 kip bouillonblokje
1 potje zilveruitjes met appelstroop
250gr penoni pasta
1 klein bosje bladpeterselie
5 eetlepels olijfolie
zout en peper
Bereiding
Verwarm een oven voor op 150°C. Snijd de ui, knoflook, peen en bleekselderij fijn.
Verwarm een pan op medium vuur met 2 eetlepels olijfolie. Dep de stukjes hert droog met een stukje keukenpapier en bestrooi met zout en peper. Bak ze rondom goudbruin. Bak niet te veel in een keer. Het is beter om het hert in twee keer te bakken. Doe het vlees in een kom en zet opzij.
Voeg de gesneden groenten toe aan de pan met 2 extra eetlepels olijfolie en smoor 7-10 minuten. Voeg de takjes tijm, het bockbier, het kipboullionblokje, 300 ml water en wat zwarte peper toe. Breng aan de kook, voeg het vlees toe. Leg een stukje bakpapier op het vlees en zet de pan in de oven.
Voeg na een uur de uitjes samen met het vocht uit het potje toe aan de stoof. Zet nog eens 30 minuten in de oven totdat het vlees zacht en mals is. Breng een pan water met zout aan de kook.
Kook de pasta in 8 minuten beetgaar. Giet het water van de pasta af, doe terug in de pan en meng met 1 eetlepel olijfolie. Snijd de peterselie fijn. Meng de stoof door de pasta samen met de helft van de peterselie. Verdeel de pasta over 2 borden en strooi de resterende peterselie er overheen.
Basque Chicken
This warming recipe is a great stew to bring summery flavours to the cold days.
Serves 2
Ingredients
5 chicken thighs
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 tin peeled tomatoes
1 chicken stock cube
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley
150 g wild rice
pinch cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
100 ml white wine
Method
1
Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and the cayenne pepper. Heat a heavy-based pot over medium heat with 3 tablespoons olive oil and fry the chicken until golden on both sides. Bring a small pot with salted water to the boil for the rice.
2
Slice the peppers into strips, finely chop the garlic and thinly slice the onion. Dissolve half the stock cube in 200 ml hot water. Remove the chicken thighs from the pot and set aside. Add all the vegetables, except for the garlic, to the pot and fry for 10 minutes, adding the garlic at the end. Add the tinned tomatoes, bring to the boil and reduce by a quarter.
3
Add 100 ml white wine and reduce slightly. Return the chicken to the pan with the stock and cook gently for about 30 minutes. Add the rice to the pot of boiling water and cook gently for about 35 minutes until tender. Drain the rice through a sieve.
4
Season the stew with salt and pepper. Finely chop the parsley and stir through. Divide the rice between 2 plates. Lay the chicken thighs on top and spoon over the pepper sauce.
Bean and Pumpkin Stew
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 tin white beans
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs thyme
1 leek
1 butternut squash (1 kg)
10g sage
50 g grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Method
Finely chop the onion, garlic and leek. Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and cut into 3 cm cubes.
Heat a pot over medium heat with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onion and pumpkin and fry gently for 5-10 minutes. Add the garlic, leek, thyme and sage leaves and fry for a further 3 minutes.
Add the beans with their liquid, salt and pepper to the pot and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently until the pumpkin is tender, about 10-15 minutes.
Season again with salt and pepper, if necessary. Divide the stew between 2 plates and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan.
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours
Klik hier voor het recept in Nederlands.
Hazenpeper - Hare Stew
Ingredients
4 hare legs
1, 5 bottles red wine
1 head of garlic, peeled
1 carrot, diced
1 red onion, finely chopped
200 g celeriac, diced
1 leek, finely chopped
4 sprigs of thyme
4 sprigs of rosemary
8 cloves
8 juniper berries
2 bay leaves
olive oil
butter
salt
black pepper
flour
4 slices onbijt cooked (ginger or spice cake), crumbled
Method
Mix together the red wine, peeled garlic cloves, carrot, onion, celeriac, leek, thyme, rosemary, cloves, juniper berries and bay leaves. Add the hare legs and marinate the hare legs for 24- 48 hours.
Remove the hare from the marinade and pat dry. Strain the marinade and keep the vegetables and herbs separately.
Heat a casserole or oven proof pan with some olive oil and a knob of butter. Brown the hare on all sides until nicely caramelised. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the strained vegetables and herbs to the pan and fry for about 5-10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon flour and fry for 1 minute. Pour in the reserved red wine from the marinade, the hare legs and a good seasoning of salt and pepper.
Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and place in a 140° C oven for about 3 hours until the meat is tender.
Remove the hare from the pan and pour the liquid through a sieve. Pick the meat from the bones.
Bring the sauce to a boil, whisk in the crumbled onbijtkoek (ginger or spice cake) and a knob of butter. Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. Return the meat to the sauce to reheat.
Serve the hare stew with creamy mashed potatoes and braised red cabbage.
The stew also freezes well and can be made ahead of time.
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours
Slow Braised Lamb Shanks
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 lamb shanks
4 celery sticks, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled, roughly sliced
2 red onions, unpeeled, roughly chopped
1 garlic bulb, unpeeled and halved
1 tin tomato paste
1 fresh bay leaf
5 sprigs thyme leaves
2 sprigs
300ml red wine
200ml port
500ml veal or chicken stock, or enough to cover the lamb shanks
Method
Preheat the oven to 150° C.
Heat the olive oil in a casserole and fry the lamb shanks for a few minutes, turning regularly, until browned all over. Remove from the casserole and set aside.
Add the vegetables and herbs to the casserole and fry for 5- 10 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and fry for a couple minutes to cook it out. Add the wine and port to the pot, bring to the boil and allow to reduce dor 5 minutes. Add the stock and return the lamb shanks to the casserole.
Cover the casserole with a lid and cook in the oven for 2½-3 hours, or until the lamb shanks are very tender.
To serve, remove the lamb shanks from the casserole and place onto serving plates. If the sauce is too thin, place it back on the heat and reduce until it has cooked down, intensified in flavour and has thickened slightly. Serve the lamb shanks with the sauce and vegetables poured over.
Delicious served with creamy mashed potato or soft polenta with loads of Parmesan.
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours