Easy Boeuf Bourguignon (say what???)

Before you run away because of the scary title of this post, here us out. Just because this meal has a fancy French name for it doesn’t mean that it is complicated to make.

Difficult pronunciation≠Difficult recipe

We first stumbled upon this recipe on our favorite blogger’s site Chez Sasha (link to original recipe here). She made Boeuf Bourguignon to celebrate her 3 year anniversary of blogging, we made it because we were bored. At first we were a little intimidated but digging deeper we noticed that the hardest part of this recipe if waiting for it to cook.

So before proceeding there are a couple things to point out. Sasha recommends that you use a full-bodied red wine, “like Burgundy, Pinot Noir, or my favorite, Malbec.” We had neither of these so we used what we had leftover from our St. Patrick’s day celebration:

Lake Country…The anytime table wine.

Sasha is probably shaking her head by now. But this recipe turned out really well! If you have some old red wine laying around give this recipe a try, no need to go out and buy fancy expensive wine (although we trust Sasha that this recipe tastes better with it).

Also, traditionally this recipe is made with bacon and mushrooms. Sasha left these out and so did we. Finally, this stew is typically served with mashed potatoes or noodles. Sasha served her’s over potatoes and so did we.

So if you want to impress your friends or family, invite them over for this meal!

Boeuf Bourguignon

Print this recipe!

It’s French for Beef Bourguignon. The more you know.

• Servings – 4 to 6
• Prep time – 10 minutes
• Cook time – 2 hours

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of beef tips, cubed
• 2 large carrots, sliced diagonally
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup red wine
• 14 ounces beef stock

Protocol

1. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Pre heat your oven to 325F.

2. In a Dutch oven over high heat, sear the beef tips in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil. It should take about 2 to 3 minutes a side. Sasha suggests performing this step in 2 batches as to not crowd the pan.

3. Set the beef aside and turn down the heat to medium. Add in the carrots and onions and saute for 6 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.

4. Add back the beef to the pot and stir in the flour. Cook for another minute.

5. Add in the tomato paste, thyme, red wine, and beef stock, stir to combine. Cover with the lid and bring to a boil.

6. Transfer to the oven and cook for 2 hours. During this time you can make your mashed potatoes or noodles.

7. Serve and enjoy!

-D&E

Brazilian Black Beans and Rice (…well sorta)

Somethings just don’t go as planned. And more often than not, our dinner plans can change faster than…well something really fast. That was the case this weekend when Declan found himself all alone in the kitchen with no idea what to make for dinner. (How often does this happen to you?) He putted down to the pantry to see what he could find and hope to whip something of nutritional value. “Black beans, can of diced tomatoes, instant rice…wait a minute!” he thought as he ran back up stairs to check the pantry, “onions and garlic, check!” and then the fridge, “turkey keilbasa! Looks like meat’s back on the menu!“

Okay maybe it wasn’t all that dramatic, but Declan did realize that he had most of the ingredients on hand for a nice dish of black beans and rice. With just a few extra spices, he was able to whip up this delicious and easy meal!

Is this an authentic Brazilian meal? Well not exactly, it was adapted from this recipe. However, Declan’s Aunt (mom’s best friend) is Brazilian and makes a mean black beans and rice dish and this was comparable!

Black Beans and Rice

To add a kick to this recipe, try using a can of diced tomatoes in green chilies instead of a regular can. But if it gets too spicy, mix in a dollop of sour cream.

• Servings – 2 to 3
• Prep time – 5 minutes
• Cook time – 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound kielbasa, chopped or diced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 (16-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Protocol

1. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in the onion, garlic, and kielbasa and sauté for 10 minutes or until onions become tender.

2. Add in your black beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, and cumin and stir together. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes or until the sauce becomes nice and thick.

3. Serve over the hot cooked rice and enjoy!

-D&E

P.S. – Does anyone have any great suggestions for this recipe? We’re not Brazilian at all.

Simple Pork Recipe

Surprise! Even on vacation we still couldn’t resist posting a recipe for you guys. School is about to start for many students around the country and we want to get as many recipes posted as we can before then.

We realized that we’ve done some chicken recipes:

• Balsamic Braised Chicken
• Fajitas
• Weeknight Chicken
• Chicken and Dumplings

We’ve also done some dishes with beef:

• Tacos
• Meatloaf

But we’ve only done one recipe with pork: Peppered Pork Pitas. It may not seem like it from the blog, but we eat a lot more pork than this. It’s a perfect alternative to poultry and beef and is relatively easy to prepare (we’re getting to that). Also, scientists are finding more and more health benefits from eating pork.

Before moving onto the recipe we do need your help. We want to post more simple Vegetarian recipes and fish recipes. If you have any favorites please email them to mail@cooking-in-college.com We would love to hear your ideas and share them with our readers! And now, onto the recipe…

Pork and Mushrooms

Pork and mushrooms go so well together that even people who don’t like mushrooms (aka Erica) love this recipe. It has the perfect earthy taste which compliments the lemon and Dijon mustard. Serve with rice and/or a side of veggies and you’re in for a treat!

• Servings – 3 to 4
• Prep time – 10 minutes
• Cook time – 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound 1/2 inch thick pork loin chops (with bone for more flavor)
• 6 chopped Baby Bella mushrooms (or any small mushrooms you enjoy)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• Salt
• Pepper

Protocol

1. On a plate, mix together flour with a pinch of salt and pepper.

2. Dredge, or coat, the pork chops into this flour mixture. Tap off any excess and set aside.

3. Over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan.

4. Once butter is melted and pan is hot, add your pork chops (only 2 or 3 at a time, no crowding) and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on a side. The chops will become golden brown.

5. Turn your oven on to the lowest setting (ours is 260ºF). When your chops are done, remove them from the pan, place them in a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and set in the oven.

6. Turn heat down to medium-low for the pan and add the tablespoon of butter, chopped mushrooms, garlic, and rosemary to the pan. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until mushrooms become tender.

7. In 1 cup of hot water, dissolve chicken bouillon cube. Add 3/4 of this to the pan and let simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce is reduced by half.

8. Add Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest (check out this video for help), and juice of half a lemon to the sauce. Stir for 2 minutes or until sauce thickens.

9. Remove pork chops from oven, pour sauce and mushrooms over the chops, serve and enjoy!

-D&E

Pittsburgh Ham BBQ Sandwich

If you live near Pittsburgh, or in Western Pennsylvania in general, you probably are familiar with chipped chopped ham. If you think we are just making up names of food, it’s understandable, Pittsburgh has a language of it’s own.

Basically, chipped chopped ham (chipped ham for short, or Isaly’s for shorter) is thinly sliced ham (like paper) found in most delis or grocery stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. It’s mainly used for lunch sandwiches (Declan has one everyday) but can also be used on pizzas, omelets, and our favorite alternative, ham barbecue sandwiches!

If your deli does not sell chipped ham, ask for regular ham sliced extremely thin, the Pittsburgh way.  If people start looking at you funny…well that’s not really our problem. Just kidding, if you can’t get paper thin slices, regular slices of ham will do just fine.

Pittsburgh Ham Barbecue Sandwich

This is an adaptation of this recipe. There are so many variations of how to make this that it’s almost impossible to mess up…unless you forget the ham.

• Servings – 4 to 6
• Prep time – 10 minutes
• Cook time – 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound chipped ham
• 12 ounces of Heinz chili sauce (should be one regular bottle)
• 1/4 cup of Heinz ketchup (optional – if you want a little more sauce)
• 8 ounces of Coca-Cola (you can eyeball 2/3 of a regular can or measure out 1 cup)
• 1 medium dill pickle  finely chopped
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
• Hamburger buns

Protocol

1.) Put all of the ingredients (except the buns!) into a pot and let simmer for 45 minutes uncovered or until the sauce is however thick you prefer.

2.) Stir and taste every 10 minutes or so. Make any adjustments if needed (i.e. if it’s too sweet, add more ketchup. If its too spicy, add more ketchup).

3. Serve on hamburger buns and enjoy!

-D&E