November seemed like the perfect time to visit 3 of our children who are studying in Montreal: Andy S, who is at Concordia and Reid W and Samantha W, who are at McGill. We brought Kris’ son, Luke and Andrea’s husband, Ted along for the party! 
Montreal has amazing energy and has so much to offer in terms of food, culture and fresh air destinations, that one weekend is not enough time. As always, we did our best to cram in as much as possible! Montreal is a great walking city and provides a lot of variety for our daily power walks. We walked up Mount Royal and down to the Old Port: both walks take about an hour from the main hotel district around the universities.
Andy's room-mate suggested that we take in the Otto Dix exhibit at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal. It was both thought-provoking and fabulous. He was a German artist with a scandalous reputation whose work spanned both Great Wars.
On a lighter note, we found some great restaurants and bars around the city. Check out the links to Le Taj, Koko, and The Burgundy Lion. Watching the Habs soundly defeat the Leafs at a bar in downtown Montreal proved to be quite the experience!
We were both ready to do a little mothering and were happy to stock the kids respective kitchens with groceries and a little something from home: Beef Bourguignon which they can heat slowly while they hit the books for exams. Although it is not grilled, it is a delicious winter dish of comfort.
Happiness is a full refrigerator!Beef Bourguignon (Gluten Free and Dairy Free)
Serves 6
Adapted From The Barefoot Contessa in Paris
The secret to the success of this dish is to not crowd the beef in the pan when you are at the browning stage. Get the oil good and hot, and allow the meat to turn a rich brown colour as that will give the dish its maximum flavour.
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 oz bacon, diced
2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1 inch chunks
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1/2 cup cognac, or good brandy
1 bottle good dry red wine, such as Burgundy
2 to 2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thickly sliced
3 tablespoons corn starch mixed with a small amount of cold water.
Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.
Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3-5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.
Toss the carrots, onions, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 2 teaspoons of pepper into the fat in the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 - 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Add the wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a boil, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours, or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.
In a medium pan, sauté the mushrooms in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned, and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil, then lower the heat and add the corn starch and water mixture, stirring until slightly thickened. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, adding more corn starch and water if necessary until desired consistency is reached. Simmer 15 minutes over low heat. Season to taste.Serve with garlic bread and a light salad.
HOME SWEET HOME
We are always on the look- out for memorable recipes that use ingredients already in the pantry, and this one is a real winner. Simple boneless chicken breasts literally shine in this dish. The lemon, hot red chili peppers, garlic and brown sugar work together to make this juicy and delicious. We made sure that our kids’ pantries were stocked with all the basics to make this quick and simple meal on their barbecues.
This dish was inspired by a trip to New York City last fall to visit Kris’ other son, Ben. We stayed at the Greenwich Hotel in TriBeCa and had dinner there at Andrew Carmellini’s wonderful restaurant Locanda Verde.
Fire-Roasted Lemon Chicken with Roasted Garlic Marinade
We always feast first with our eyes, so the perfect grill marks are an important part of our grilling technique. Instructions are given below.
1 head garlic, roasted*
¼ cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup canola oil
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
½ tsp hot red chili pepper flakes
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
8 boneless chicken breasts
1 lemon thinly sliced
Combine, garlic, rice vinegar, olive oil, canola oil, oregano, rosemary, red chili pepper flakes, salt, pepper and brown sugar. Pour over chicken pieces and top with lemon slices. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours, or overnight.
Remove chicken from marinade, season with more salt and pepper.
Grill chicken: Preheat barbecue on HIGH. Brush grids with vegetable oil and reduce to MEDIUM. Place chicken and lemon slices on the grill at a 45° angle and cook 3 minutes. Turn the chicken over, grilling for 3 minutes on the same 45° angle. Turn the breast over again and grill for 3 minutes on the opposite 45° angle. Finally, turn the breast over and grill on the same 45° angle for 3 minutes.
*To roast garlic: Cut off top ¼ and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Wrap in foil, keeping the top open and roast in barbecue on MEDIUM for 45 minutes, until soft and gooey. Cool and squeeze out garlic.
No comments:
Post a Comment