It Ain't Irish, It Ain't Italian Either, But it IS Green - Spinach à la Florentine

Well, tomorrow is St. Patrick's day and just in case you are foregoing the "Corned Beef and Cabbage" I thought I would throw another side dish option at you. And while it isn't necessarily fitting with the holiday, it is green, it is cheesy and it is more than delicious. I like to think of it as creamed spinach with an attitude.

I am speaking of that famed dish influenced by Florence, most commonly found in the form of quiche these days; Spinach à la Florentine. Don't let the "à la" fool you though, this is really a French dish. Yeppers; for while the population of Florence is VERY fond of Spinach, most dishes in Tuscany, with an "à la Fiorentina" attached to the end, contain Peas. LOL

The "Florentine" suffix occurred during the reign of Caterina de’ Medici as queen of France and was kind of a joke among the French court chefs (who were a little bitter, since they were learning how to cook from the Florentine chefs Caterina brought with her) So thus it was, due to her love of spinach, that all dishes containing the leafy green vegetable were suddenly dubbed "à la Florentine".

Irritated French Chefs and arranged marriages aside, this stuff just plain rocks! And how could it not? For it is covered in Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and anything covered in cheese is most definitely, completely, totally and unequivocally AWESOME!!!

So now that the Awesomeness of Spinach à la Florentine has been established, let us embark upon a quest for the aforementioned "awesomeness".

Spinach à la Florentine

1 1/4 cups Whole Milk
1 Bay Leaf
2 TB Unsalted Butter
3 TB AP Flour
1/4 cup Olive oil
2 Cloves Garlic
18 oz Spinach, washed & dried
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
2/3 cup (~3 oz) Parmigiano-Reggiano, Shredded; Divided

Begin by placing the Milk and the Bay leaf in a small sauce pan and warming it over medium-low heat.

Butter a 11 x 7 inch casserole or baking dish and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the Butter in a separate sauce pan.

Add the flour, whisking to form a roux and cook for 2 minutes.

Remove the Bay leaf from the Milk.....

Then add the Milk to the roux, whisking constantly.

Cook the resulting Balsamella (béchamel) until thick and bubbly (about 6 minutes)

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a saute pan.

When hot, add the garlic and saute until soft (not brown)

Add the spinach and let it cook down.

And down....

And down... Until the water steams away, then remove from the flame and season with Salt and Pepper.

Reserve 1/3 cup of the Balsamella to another sauce pan.

Stir 1/2 of the shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano into it and set aside. (Making a sort of super-charged Sauce Mornay)

Pour the remaining Balsamella over the spinach and stir to coat evenly.

Spread in the Casserole dish...

Pour the reserved Parmigiano-Reggiano spiked Balsamella over the top of the spinach mixture.

Spreading it evenly over the Spinach/Balsamella mixture.

Sprinkle with the remaining shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Bake in the oven for 18 minutes or until it begins to bubble.

Then place under the broiler for about 2 minutes to brown it just a little.

Serve while piping hot.

It's slightly messy when being served, but messiness doesn't really matter when something is THIS awesome... ;)

Did I mention that this stuff is awesome?

Mangia!!
~~

Boeuf Bourguignon; Revisited

I just realize that ALL I have been blogging about for the last month or so is Sweets..... And while sweets are delicious, their not so nutritious. I think it's time for some real food. Not that I haven't been eating real food over the last month. I have, and most definitely, since I really don't care for sweets myself. Well except for pie. Can you blame me? I mean, who doesn't like pie?

Most if not all of the goodies I have been making have been for others to enjoy. But because of the time it takes to make those sugar laced bits of goodness, I have been sorely lacking in photographing my actual meals. Way too many photos to take as well as process. My old Titanium 500 Powerbook sees me coming and starts to groan in pain. The poor thing. (I did get a 1.67 Aluminum of of eBay for a song, but I have not had the time to sit down and transfer everything over to it yet, and I really need a fire wire)

I have also been recycling a lot of dishes that I have already made, such as Linguine alla Carbonara, Risottos of various types, Saltimbocca alla Romagna, Spaghettini alla Puttanesca, Flower Pot Chicken and salads. Yeah, lots and LOTS of salads. Massive craving for leafy greens goin on up here. However........

One thing I cooked up and kind of took pictures was Julia Child's infamously delicious Boeuf Bourguignon. Cause it has been bitterly cold and it just sounded hearty and delicious. It is pretty much the same recipe I followed before, except for.......

I used Pancetta instead of bacon.
I used Pinot Noir, instead of Barbera (Pinot Noir is from the Burgundy region of France)
I used Onion (just like the original recipe called for) instead of substituting a leek like I did before.
I used a Chuck Roast instead of a Tri-Tip roast like before.
Oh, and I used a medley of pearl onions... Yellow, White and Red all mixed together.
 They are all pretty standard deviations from the original recipe. I mean you could just as easily make it with Syrah if that is what is in your wine rack (but lemme tell ya, the Pinot was AWESOME) and while Julia mentions "white" pearl onions, I used gold the last time, and, for me at least, Bacon and Pancetta are pretty much interchangeable.. depending on how much smoke flavor I want in a dish. The point is, the only reason I am rehashing this recipe is my need to share what happened at the Meat Market when I was hunting down a significantly large hunk of meat... LOL

So I walk in to the Meat Market, see? and I ask the gentleman behind the counter if he could recommend a different cut of beef for Boeuf Bourguignon, cause I didn't want to use the Tri-Tip again. He goes in the locker and comes back with a whole Beef Tenderloin in tow, at $11.95 a lb ?!?!?!?! (Which is actually a pretty good price, but still.)

I looked at him and said, "Um... You're suggesting that I cook a 3 pounds of Beef Tenderloin in Beef stock, for 2 1/2 hours in the oven?"

He looks at me like I am dense and says, "Well, yes... Cause it will be REALLY tender."

I rephrased and said, "Really, Beef Burgundy (yes, in English this time) with Tenderloin.. Hmmm And here I though that was for Filet Mignon and Chateau Briand (Which is a pounded Tenderloin)"

I mean come on.... I could use Shoe Leather in Beouf Bourguignon and it will be deliciously tender after cooking in moist heat for 2-3 hours.

He just looked at me again, like I was a dolt, and said "They're both French." LMAO.....

So evidently, some people have this misconception that the only piece of cow that they eat in France is the tenderloin. Either that or he really did think I was an idiot and I would purchase a tenderloin at 3 times the price!

So, I bought a chuck roast...And quite a beautiful Chuck roast it was... And literally 1/3 the price of the Tenderloin, and let's face it... Chuck has more flavor than tenderloin does.

Boeuf Bourguignon 
Beef Burgundy

1 10-inch pot that is at least 3 inches deep (This time I used the pyroceram Corningware - Cause you have to cook on the stove and in the oven)
8 oz Pancetta
1 TB Olive Oil
3 LB Chuck Roast
2 Carrot, Sliced
1 Onion, Chopped
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
2 TB Flour
3 cups Pinot Noir (I used a 2006 Carmel Road from Monterey, CA)
2-3 cups Beef Stock (I only needed 2)
1 TB Tomato Paste
2 cloves of Garlic; crushed
1 sprig Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
1 Sprig of Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
1 recipe Brown-Braised Onions (recipe follows)
1 recipe Butter Sautéed Mushrooms (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Slice into 2 inch chunks and pat all pieces of Beef dry with paper towels. (It's true, dry meat browns better)

Chop the Onion and slice the Carrot.

Place casserole over medium high heat and add olive oil. (I used Pyroceram CorningWare instead of enameled cast iron)

Sauté the Pancetta in oil until browned and the fat is rendered out;

then remove with a slotted spoon, to a plate. (mmmm pancetta goodness)

Begin searing the dried Beef chunks in several batches, you don't want to crowd the pan or they won't brown as nicely.

Once they are browned on all sides, remove to the plate with the Bacon.

Add the sliced Vegetables and sauté until they soak up all the delicious meaty goodness left in the pan.

Remove them from the pot, and set aside as well. (mmmmm Pancetta & Beef goodness sautéed right in)

Pour out any remaining fat and add the Beef and Bacon back to the pot.

Sprinkle with Flour and toss to coat, then place in the oven, on the top rack, uncovered, for 4 minutes; toss again and bake 4 minutes more, to brown the Flour (it will smell nutty)

Place pot back on the stove top over medium heat and add the vegetables.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, then add the wine to the pot.

Then pour in just enough beef stock to barely cover the meat along with Tomato Paste, Garlic, Herbs, Salt and Pepper.

Bring to a simmer and place in the lower rack of the oven, covered, for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.


Meanwhile.......Your going to need about 6 TB of browned butter for these next two recipes.
So simply melt 8 TB unsalted butter in a sauce pan skimming the foam until the proteins brown slightly.... Then strain through cheese cloth.

For complete instructions please check out "Butter May Be Better, But Browned Butter is Best".

Brown-Braised Pearl Onions
Oignons Glacés á Brun

18-24 mixed Pearl Onions (white is preferred, but I thought this was fun)
1 1/2 TB Browned Butter (Beurre Noisette)
1 1/2 TB Olive Oil
1/2 cup Beef Stock
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 sprigs Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
1 Bay Leaf
2 sprigs of Thyme

Heat a Browned Butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Add the pearls and sauté for about 10 minutes until somewhat uniformly brown.

Add Beef stock and season with Salt and pepper; add the Herbs, cover and reduce heat to medium-low; over and simmer for 40-50 minutes, or until the onions are tender but still hold their shape.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

While the onions are simmering.......

Mushrooms Sautéed in Browned Butter
Champignons Sautés au Beurre Noisette

1 LB Fresh Mushrooms (again, I used Cremini; AKA Baby Bella, Italian Brown)
4 TB Browned Butter (Beurre Noisette)
1 1/2 TB Minced Shallot
Salt and Pepper to taste

Prepare the Mushrooms. Mine were pretty big so I quartered them instead of slicing. (They were gorgeous mushrooms)

These take about 4 batches to sauté properly, don't over crowd the pan, or they will not brown and will give up their liquid, steaming themselves and not actually sautéing.

For each batch, place 1 TB Browned Butter and 1/2 TB Olive oil in a skillet set over medium heat.
Add 1/4 of the Mushrooms and sauté until browned lightly. (They will get shiny at first, but they will brown after that)

Remove each batch and set aside until all 4 batches are sautéed.
Then add ALL the Mushrooms back to the pan along with the Shallot and Salt and Pepper, tossing for about 1 minute.

Remove from pan and set aside.

Bringing the whole Kit and Kaboodle together.....

The Pearl Onions should be completed, the Mushrooms should be completed, so now is the time to do a quick clean up and take about a 30 -45 minute nap before the Bourguignon is finished in the oven... LOL Please make sure that you wake up when the timer goes off though.

When the meat is tender, after about 2 1/2 hours, remove the casserole from the oven.

Pour off the wine/stock from the casserole to a small sauce pan and skim the fat off the top.
Add the Mushrooms and Pearl onions to the Beef/Vegetables.
Simmer the sauce for a few minutes, skimming any additional fat that rises, to reduce to about 2 1/2 cups. Last time I didn't have to do this, but I think the Corning ware made a tighter seal and I didn't loose as much moisture as I did with my casts iron pot.

Pour sauce over Beef and Vegetables.
Bring the whole thing back to a simmer for 2-3 minutes while occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the gravy-esque goodness.

And serve with Italian Parsley for color and Ciabatta Rolls to soak up the gravy goodness.


And once again, you have a big steaming bowl of Bovine Nirvana. I really have to hand it to Julia, I don't like beef, yet I just can't seem to get enough of this stuff.


Mangia!!
~~

Homage to Julia Child - Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon, Well Mostly

I am not big on Beef, but I may be a convert now. I think Julia was right when stating this is just about the best beef dish ever!!! It is a little labor intensive... But "trust me", your efforts will be GREATLY rewarded. It's Classically French, Classically Delicious and just plain Classically AWESOME!

Before we begin, I need to warn you that this is gonna be a loooooong post... There are 44 pictures alone, because there are 3 steps, and I left out the browned butter step cause I have posted about it before. I did most of my prep work first, but I am going to present this in the time frame that Julia did because her work flow IS actually better than mine was. I was interrupted by some questionable mushrooms, so I had to make a mad dash to the grocery store (This was part of what spurred me to do go ahead and do ALL the prep ahead of time).

I changed 3 ingredients, well actually 4 but one of them is in the next paragraph. I used a Leek instead of an onion, and I used Browned Butter to do the sautéing of the Pearl Onions (which were brown onions instead of white) and the Mushrooms.

I also skipped 2 different steps... I did not have Lardons, so I skipped the boiling phase, simply using Bacon instead. I also didn't strain the sauce after it came out of the oven. I wanted it to be more stew like so I left it as is when it came out of the oven. Trust me, it didn't need to be reduced or have any fat skimmed off and it was still phenomenal.

There are 3 recipes to this, I will present them as they come up instead of combining everything together. Incidentally, this would be an AWESOME way to prepare not only Bison, but Elk as well.
OK, I am going to stop yammering and get this goin' cause it's gonna take awhile.

Boeuf Bourguignon
Beef Burgundy

1 10-inch pot that is at least 3 inches deep (either the old pyroceram Corningware or an enameled Cast Iron Casserole - Cause you have to cook on the stove and in the oven)
6 oz Bacon
1 TB Olive Oil
3 LB lean Stewing Beef (I used an untrimmed loin Tri-tip roast)
1 Carrot, Sliced
1 Leek Sliced (recipe calls for an onion)
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 TB Flour
3 cups full bodied Red Wine such as Burgundy, Chianti (I used an '05 Barbera from Witch Creek Winery)
2-3 cups Beef Stock (I only needed 2)
1 TB Tomato Paste
2 cloves of Garlic; crushed
1 sprig Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
1 Sprig of Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
1 recipe Brown-Braised Onions (recipe follows)
1 recipe Butter Sautéed Mushrooms (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
The Roast..... and it was a TOTAL Bargain!!!

I started with almost 4 lbs because it was untrimmed, and I needed 3 lbs for the recipe - I DID cut about 14.7 oz of fat off the roast.

Trim fat from the Beef roast.

If your using a loin cut, remove any silver skin as well.

Slice into 2 inch chunks.

Pat all pieces of Beef dry with paper towels. (It's true, dry meat browns better)

Slice the Leek and Carrot

Place casserole over medium high heat and add olive oil.

Slice the Bacon into 1/4 inch matchsticks while the casserole is heating up.

Sauté Bacon in oil until browned and the Bacon fat is rendered out.

Remove with a slotted spoon, to a plate.

Begin searing the dried Beef chunks in several batches, you don't want to crowd the pan or they won't brown as nicely.

Once they are browned on all sides, remove to the plate with the Bacon.

Add the sliced Vegetables and sauté until browned.

Remove them from the pot, and set aside as well.

Pour out any remaining fat and add the Beef and Bacon back to the pot.

Sprinkle with Flour and toss to coat.

Place in the oven, on the top rack, uncovered, for 4 minutes; toss again and bake 4 minutes more, to brown the Flour (it will smell nutty)

Place pot back on the stove top over medium heat and add the vegetables.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, then add the wine to the pot.

Then pour in just enough beef stock to barely cover the meat.

Add Tomato Paste, Garlic, Herbs, Salt and Pepper.

Bring to a simmer and place in the lower rack of the oven, covered, for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.


Meanwhile.......Your going to need about 6 TB of browned butter for these next two recipes.
So simply melt 8 TB unsalted butter in a sauce pan skimming the foam until the proteins brown slightly.... Then strain through cheese cloth.

For complete instructions please check out "Butter May Be Better, But Browned Butter is Best".

Brown-Braised Pearl Onions
Oignons Glacés á Brun

18-24 pearl onions (white is preferred, but I was lucky to even find these)
1 1/2 TB Browned Butter (Beurre Noisette)
1 1/2 TB Olive Oil
1/2 cup Beef Stock
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 sprigs Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
1 Bay Leaf
2 sprigs of Thyme

Don't let the idea of peeling these little Onions freak you out.

Send them skinny-dipping in boiling water for a minute or two.

Scoop them out and into an ice bath.

Slice off the root end.

Apply pressure to the top and voile! - They should pop right out of their skins

(5 minutes tops; I swear)...

Heat a Browned Butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Add the pearls and sauté for about 10 minutes until somewhat uniformly brown.

Add Beef stock and season with Salt and pepper; add the Herbs, cover and reduce heat to medium-low; over and simmer for 40-50 minutes, or until the onions are tender but still hold their shape.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

While the onions are simmering.......

Mushrooms Sautéed in Browned Butter
Champignons Sautés au Beurre Noisette

1 LB Fresh Mushrooms (I used Cremini; AKA Baby Bella, Italian Brown)
4 TB Browned Butter (Beurre Noisette)
1 1/2 TB Minced Shallot
Salt and Pepper to taste

Prepare the Mushrooms...

If they are small, leave them whole... Medium, slice in half... Mine were pretty big so I quartered them.

These take about 4 batches to sauté properly, don't over crowd the pan, or they will not brown and will give up their liquid, steaming themselves and not actually sautéing.

For each batch, place 1 TB Browned Butter and 1/2 TB Olive oil in a skillet set over medium heat.
Add 1/4 of the Mushrooms and sauté until browned lightly. (They will get shiny at first, but they will brown after that)

Remove each batch and set aside until all 4 batches are sautéed.
Then add ALL the Mushrooms back to the pan along with the Shallot and Salt and Pepper, tossing for about 1 minute.

Remove from pan and set aside.

Bringing the whole Sha-bang together.....

The Pearl Onions should be completed, the Mushrooms should be completed, so now is the time to take about a 30 minute nap before the Bourguignon is finished in the oven... LOL

When the meat is tender, after about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, remove the casserole from the oven. (Sorry the picture came out SO unbelievably bad)

I simply added the Peal Onions.

And The Mushrooms...

And serve with Italian Parsley for color and hunks of Sourdough to soak up the gravy-esque goodness.

I didn't really have a lot of fat floating so I didn't do this part, but Julia recommends that you.....
Pour off the wine/stock from the casserole to a small sauce pan and skim the fat off the top.
Add the Mushrooms and Pearl onions to the Beef/Vegetables.
Simmer the sauce for a few minutes, skimming any additional fat as it rises, to reduce to about 2 1/2 cups.
Pour sauce over Beef and Vegetables.
Bring the whole thing back to a simmer for 2-3 minutes while occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the gravy-esque goodness.
Then Serve.

To reheat left overs (Like there will actually BE any leftovers)
About 15 - 20 minutes before serving, cover and bring to a slow simmer (I assume over medium-low heat) and simmer for 10 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables occasionally.

Mangia!! I know I sure did.... ;)
~~