Half Assed Kitchen

Beef bourguignon

 

Beef bourguignon is basically fancy stew made with red wine and bacon. It takes a while to cook, but is not difficult at all. We admit, we used (read: modified) Martha Stewart's recipe over Julia Child's, only because Everyday Food comes right to our mailbox and we would've had to research Julia's method. But we did cook this the very same night we watched the movie Julie & Julia and we found both the beef bourguignon and the film to be delightful.

This is a very rich dish and serves quite a few (6 to 8). One note: instead of putting our pot in the oven, we cooked the whole thing on the stovetop. So, sue us. It worked just fine.

Rating: 3/4 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

3 Tablespoons olive oil

8 ounces fresh button/crimini mushrooms, quartered

1-2 pounds lean beef cut into chunks (we buy stew meat, pre-cut)

Salt and pepper

5 strips bacon, diced

1 Tablespoon tomato paste (get it in a tube if you can = less waste when you don't use it all)

2 Tablespoons flour

3 cups dry red wine

2 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 garlic clove, peeled and minced or crushed

4 carrots, sliced

10 ounces pearl onions, peeled (we used a chopped white onion)

1 Tablespoon butter, cut into pieces

Fresh, flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven pot. Add mushrooms and cook until browned. Transfer to a plate.

Pat beef dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper and add to pot. Brown and transfer to plate. Pour off fat from pot. Add bacon and cook over medium heat until brown. Stir in tomato paste. Stir in flour.

Return beef to pot and add wine, broth, bay leaf and garlic. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. Add carrots and onions and continue to cook until meat is very tender. Add mushrooms 15 minutes before end of cooking.

Stir butter into stew and serve with chopped, fresh parsley.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

 

Instead of reaching for that store bought bottle of Ranch or Poppy Seed dressing, try whipping up this homemade honey mustard elixir and giving your salad some real pizzazz. It's super easy and incredibly delicious.

Rating: 1/4 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

1/4 cup olive or canola oil

1/3 cup honey

3 teaspoons dijon mustard

1/8 cup white wine vinegar (or just white vinegar)

2 teaspoons shallot, minced finely (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and whisk together with a fork. Serve over your favorite greens.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Pasta Puttanesca

  
Mistakenly, the first time we typed out the title of this post, we wrote Pasta Puttansexca. A total Freudian slip. Because, yes, this puttanesca sauce is that good. Or better. Also puttanesca is named for old-time Italian whores and was a dish they would, so the story goes, whip up between clients.

We were inspired to make this recently, as we were reading the novel Belong To Me, by Marisa De Los Santos (we highly recommend it, by the way) with a scene that described Puttanesca in all its savory, olive-oily, capery goodness. And the next day we had to run to the store and buy the ingredients.

It's so, SO fantastic, we were scraping the edges of the skillet with our fingers and licking off the sauce. Crude, we know. But true.

We adapted this recipe from Epicurious. We've tried a few others and this is our favorite. Epicurious gets the proportions just right.

We beg you to give this a try. And don't fear the anchovy paste. It gives the sauce a depth that you just can't accomplish without it.

Rating: Truly 1/2 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

1 pound pasta, dried

1/3 cup olive oil

5 garlic cloves, pressed or minced very finely

2 teaspoons anchovy paste

1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1 can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted (Trader Joes has a great deal on these)

2 Tablespoons capers, drained

Pinch of sugar (or two, optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Lots of fresh basil, coarsely chopped

Cook pasta according to package directions until just al dente.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, toss the olive oil, garlic, anchovy paste, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt until fragrant and pale golden.

Add tomatoes, olives and capers to garlic oil. Simmer, stirring occasionally. Add sugar if desired.

Toss with cooked pasta and top with fresh basil.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Moist Banana Bread

 

Banana bread is a most slackerly of homemade snacks. It's not quite as easy as reaching into a bag of chips, but it's still pretty simple and more nutritious, too. We took our recipe from Elise and modified it the teensiest bit (not really modifications so much as cutting and pasting and giving it a dash and a glug of spice and oil to suit our tastes).

Rating: Truly 1/2 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

3 to 4 ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 Tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cardamom (optional)

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

+++++++

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine bananas and melted butter. Mix in the sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla. Next, add baking soda, salt, flour, and cardamom. Fold in walnuts if using. Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Scenes from a Farmers' Market

We're busily packing up our family to spend a few days in San Diego. The place that inspired us to make Mexican Meatball Soup about this time last year.

In short, we're overwhelmed and haven't head nearly enough time to cook this week. Sunday, though, we visited the Ballard Farmer's Market here in Seattle. We're hoping a few shots of vegetables and gorgeous multi-colored eggs with hold you over until we can post another recipe.

Thanks so much for following Half Assed Kitchen. We have a ton of fun with it and adore our readers and fellow non-foodies.

 

 

  

Pesto

 

We just made pesto for the first time in five years. We're not sure why the long hiatus. But we're so glad to be back working with big, meaty basil leaves and handfuls of smooth pine nuts. It still amazes us that we can throw six ingredients into a food processor and get this fresher than fresh, garlicky, cheesy, nutty sensation.

This classic recipe makes quite a bit. Perfect for a big pasta meal or for freezing to eat later.

Rating: 1/4 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry

2/3 cups romano, pecorino or parmesan cheese, grated (save yourself a ton of trouble and buy pre-grated)

1/3 cup pine nuts

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves

Pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor. (We use a Cuisinart Mini Processor and it works really well.) Let stand for an hour or so before serving. Store in refrigerator.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Homemade granola bars

 

This recipe arose out of frustration. We were tired of the expense of store-bought granola bars and sick of the wastefulness of their plastic wrappers. We wanted some wholesome, yummy granola bars for home. So, in a fit of we-can-make-these-just-as-well-as Nature Valley-can, we mixed a few things from the pantry in a big bowl, pressed them into a pan and baked. And we were thrilled with what we got!

These granola bars are crunchy/soft, delicious and relatively heathy. Another bonus: if you have the basic ingredients on hand, you can experiment with the seeds, nuts and fruit that you add.

Rating: Truly 1/2 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

2-1/2 cups whole oats

3/4 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) (we used macadamia)

1/2 cup dried fruit (optional)

2 Tablespoons seeds (such as sunflower, flax or sesame)

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1/4 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup brown rice syrup (found in most grocery stores near the rice cakes, keeps forever in the fridge. If you decide not to purchase this extra item, you can bring the honey up to 3/4 cup and add 1/4 cup of brown sugar. We think the brown rice syrup does a better job of binding, though.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Press into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until top turns golden and feels just firm to the touch. Don't over bake or these will turn into bricks.

Let cool for 10 minutes, then cut into rectangles. Store in an airtight container.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.