8 to 10 servings (makes 16 to 18 cups)
This recipe is an amalgam of other stew and Belgian carbonnade recipes that D.C. resident Lou Cantolupo has made over the years. After the long braise, the beef nearly melts in your mouth, and the sauce is thick and hearty.
He calls for carving up a chuck roast here; some of the trimmed fat is rendered to cook and flavor the vegetables. The russet potato remains whole and helps to thicken the gravy a bit; by the time the stew is done, the potato will have cooked through. Feel free to mash some of it into each portion at serving time.
Serve with crusty bread or biscuits.
MAKE AHEAD: The stew is even more flavorful after a day or two of refrigeration. It can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Ingredients
3 1/2 pounds chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces, fat trimmed off (reserve about 1/2 cup of the trimmed fat)
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or more as needed
3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 to 5 tablespoons canola oil
1 large yellow onion, halved, then cut into very thin half-moons
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, sliced thin
2 tablespoons tomato paste
14 ounces homemade or no-salt-added chicken broth
14 ounces homemade or no-salt-added beef broth
1 1/4 cups full-bodied red wine, such as Bordeaux or zinfandel
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 large bay leaves
Leaves from 5 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
2 pounds new potatoes (about 6), cleaned, peeled and cut into quarters
1 medium russet potato, peeled (kept whole)
4 medium carrots, scrubbed well, then cut into 1-inch chunks
Steps
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.
Place the beef in a large bowl; season it with the salt and pepper, tossing to coat evenly.
Combine the flour and cornstarch in a separate large bowl.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in three or four batches, coat the meat with the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. (Coat only as much meat as you can cook at once.)
Working with about 8 pieces at a time, lightly brown them on two sides in the Dutch oven for 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer the seared pieces to a plate. Repeat until all the meat is lightly browned, adding oil as necessary and transferring the seared pieces to the plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the flour-cornstarch mixture, and discard the rest.
Add the trimmed fat to the Dutch oven; cook (over medium-high heat) until about 2 tablespoons of fat has been rendered. Remove/discard the remaining unrendered fat.
Reduce the heat to medium; stir in the onion, garlic and celery. Cook for about 7 minutes, until the onion is slightly translucent. Stir in the tomato paste; cook for 2 minutes, then sprinkle in the 2 tablespoons of reserved flour-cornstarch mixture, stirring until well incorporated.
Return all the meat and any accumulated juices to the pot. Pour in first the chicken broth, then the beef broth, stirring until well blended. Add the wine and Worcestershire sauce. Add the bay leaves, thyme and herbes de Provence. Increase the heat to medium-high; once the stew begins to boil, cover the pot and transfer to the oven to cook for 2 hours.
Remove the pot from the oven; stir in the new potatoes, the whole russet potato and the carrots. Taste, and add salt as needed. Cover, return to the oven and cook for 2 hours or until the meat is tender.
Discard the bay leaves. Divide the stew among wide, shallow bowls, distributing some of the whole potato, if desired. Serve warm.
Nutrition | Per serving (based on 10): 400 calories, 32 g protein, 28 g carbohydrates, 15 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 100 mg cholesterol, 570 mg sodium, 4 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugar
Philly Italian Hoagie
1 to 2 servings
The hoagie is Philadelphia's take on a sub sandwich, except better.
The preferred roll is crisp on the outside and firm and chewy on the inside. Philadelphians can get theirs from Sarcone's and Amoroso's; hoagie aficionados like Jim Shahin have found a worthy substitute in banh mi rolls. If the banh mi rolls are especially long, trim the ends as needed.
From Jim Shahin.
Ingredients
One 8-inch Italian roll (see headnote)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 to 3 slices boiled ham (2 ounces total)
3 slices Genoa salami (2 ounces total)
3 slices hot capicola (2 ounces total)
3 slices mild provolone cheese (2 ounces total)
1/2 medium tomato, cut into three or four 1/4-inch slices, each cut in half
1/8 medium onion, thinly sliced
Heaping 1 tablespoon chopped hot or sweet crushed cherry peppers
1/2 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
Few grinds black pepper (optional)
Steps
Slice the roll lengthwise, stopping short of cutting all the way through (so the halves are attached). Brush the inside surfaces with 1 teaspoon of the oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the vinegar. Sprinkle a scant 1/8 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the oregano over the surface.
Layer the slices of ham down the length of the roll, then the salami, then the capicola and, on top, the provolone cheese. (You might need to cut the cheese in half for it to lay flat.) Lay the tomato halves next to each other on both sides of the roll. Arrange the onion on the tomato slices.
Spread the crushed cherry peppers down the length of the sandwich. Top with the shredded lettuce. Drizzle the remaining teaspoon of oil and wine vinegar over the length of the hoagie. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon of salt, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of the oregano and the black pepper, if using. For easy eating, cut the sandwich in half.
Nutrition | Per serving (without roll, based on 2): 360 calories, 25 g protein, 7 g carbohydrates, 27 g fat, 11 g saturated fat, 85 mg cholesterol, 2,460 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber, 2 g sugar
Chocolate Babka
20 to 24 servings
(makes two hefty 9-by-5-inch loaves)
This dense, chewy, multi-layered bread was inspired by the babka made at Cheskie Bakery in Montreal.
MAKE AHEAD: The dough needs to rest, in various steps, for a total of about 6 hours. The babka can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. It freezes well, for up to 3 months.
Adapted from cookbook author Marcy Goldman's recipe on BetterBaking.com.
Ingredients
For the dough
1/3 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
3 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup warm whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
About 5 cups bread flour, plus more for the work surface
For the filling
3 cups sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
For the glaze
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
Steps
For the dough: Whisk together the warm water and yeast in a large mixing bowl until the yeast has dissolved. Let it rest for about 3 minutes, then add 2 of the eggs plus 1 egg yolk, the milk, vanilla extract, sugar and salt, whisking until well incorporated.
Fold in the butter and 3 to 4 cups of the flour; mix to form a mass of dough; let it rest for 12 minutes, then add the remaining flour, kneading (in the bowl) as you work for a total of 10 to 12 minutes or until the dough is elastic and smooth.
Generously grease a separate large mixing bowl with cooking oil spray; transfer the dough to the bowl and turn it to coat. Enclose the bowl in a large plastic bag; let it rest in a non-drafty place for 45 to 90 minutes or until puffy.
Gently deflate the dough and divide it in half. Cover with a towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon and corn syrup in a medium bowl.
Lightly flour a work surface. Grease two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with cooking oil spray.
Roll out half of the dough to a 20-by-16-inch rectangle; it should be quite thin. Spread a little less than half of the sugar mixture evenly over the dough, all the way to the edges. Dot with half of the butter pieces. Starting with the longest edge closer to you, begin to roll the dough as tightly and evenly as possible. Transfer the long roll of dough to one of the loaf pans; twist or overlap it as needed to make it fit in the pan; the surface does not have to be even.
Repeat the process with the remaining dough, and the same amount of the sugar mixture and butter, to fill the second loaf pan.
Lightly beat the remaining egg in a cup; use it to brush the top of each loaf, then sprinkle the loaves with the remaining sugar mixture. Cover the pans with plastic wrap; refrigerate for 3 hours. The loaves will not rise much.
Transfer the pans to the kitchen counter; uncover and let them rest for 1 hour. They might rise or loosen up just a bit.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the loaf pans on a baking sheet. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until the babkas are quite brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
While the babkas are cooling, make the glaze: Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat.
Transfer the loaf pans to a wire cooling rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Immediately use half of the glaze to brush both loaves (in the pan).
Let the loaves cool for 15 minutes, then dislodge them from the pans and place them directly on the rack. Use the remaining half of the glaze to brush the loaves all over. Let them cool for at least 45 minutes before serving, or cool completely before storing.
Nutrition | Per serving: 360 calories, 5 g protein, 65 g carbohydrates, 9 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 115 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber, 43 g sugar
