Mazăre cu Pui, a Romanian Chicken and Pea stew, looks interesting.
1 Like
The most ambitious thing I’ve made lately I think was New Orleans-style roast beef—which is to say, braised chuck roast. Just browned real well, removed from the pot long enough to add some onion, garlic, Fresno chile, celery, then returned to the pot with some tomatoes, seasoning (celery salt, bit of Worcestershire, black pepper and the last of a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce), and beef stock and simmered until very tender. Most of the ambition is in the stock: oxtail, beef tendon, 24 hours in the oven (more like 30 I guess, if you count the time spent browning them before covering with water).
We had it with greens (cooked next to the stock: collards, turnip greens, radish greens, watercress, Chinese celery, Chinese bacon in lieu of smoked pork hocks) and the potato gratin I picked up from one of Steingarten’s books back whenever, and which I become obsessed with again whenever I make it. I’d meant to make grits originally, but the ambition petered out after the meat, and potatoes were easier. Only my love of mashed potatoes with celery root is preventing me from making these potatoes for Thanksgiving, which I keep forgetting is very soon.
I don’t think I ever had this roast beef outside of a poboy until I left New Orleans, but it’s the kind of thing that when you make it at home, there’s so much of it that you need to incorporate it into non-sandwich meals, particularly so that you get some vegetables beyond lettuce and pickles.
3 Likes
