Hello from the Virtual Spoon

Hello from the Virtual Spoon: Happy Fall to all of you. In this issue, the ultimate in versatility is BEEF. Beef gets a starring role in comfort food; it's easy to prepare, easy on the budget, and good for the entire fall with some rib sticking good food . We also feature some other tasty delights as well. Let's get cooking.

The Recipes

• Beef Stew with Root Vegetables
  
• Citrus Chicken
  
• Beef Bourguignon
  


• Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower
  
• Blackberry Cobbler
  
• Mint Chocolate Cookies

Beef Stew with Root Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 pounds beef stew meat
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 can or bottle beer
• 4 cups beef broth, more as needed
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 carrots, roughly sliced
• 2 parsnips, roughly sliced
• 1 small turnip, roughly sliced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, optional
• Minced fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

Heat the oil and butter in a pan and brown the beef. Remove the beef from the pan, throw in the garlic and onions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Pour in the beer, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, sugar, paprika, salt and some pepper. Then return the beef to the pan, cover and simmer on a low heat until the meat is very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If the liquid level gets too low, add more broth as needed.

Add the carrots, parsnips and turnips and continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is reduced, about 30 minutes.

If the stew is still too liquid, remove a cup of cooking liquid from the pan and stir in the flour. Add the flour mixture back into the pan and stir. Simmer for 10 minutes until the stew is thick. The meat should be very tender; if it's tough, let it continue to cook.

To finish, add the parsley and stir through the stew.

Citrus Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, about 2 oranges
• 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chiffonade fresh mint leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon celery seeds

Glaze:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1/2 cup orange marmalade (look for marmalade with small rinds)
• 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup reserved marinade, strained

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving 1/4 cup for glaze and put the chicken in a 13 by 9-inch pan and bake for 45 minutes. Baste with the glaze, turn the pieces over and bake for an additional 15 to 25 minutes, basting every 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and arrange the chicken on a serving platter.

Glaze:

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil.

When the oil is hot, add the shallots and ginger and saute for 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Baste the chicken with the glaze after 45 minutes.

Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 8 ounces dry cured center cut apple wood smoked bacon, diced
• 2 1/2 pounds chuck beef 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
• 1 (750 ml.) bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir
• 1 can (2 cups) beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 pound frozen whole onions
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced
• For serving: Country bread or sourdough, toasted or grilled and rubbed with garlic clove
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 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 to 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 and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 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 the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, 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.

Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Forget florets--roast the whole damn cauliflower

Roasted cauliflower? Been there, done that. But roasting a whole head of cauliflower? Now we’ve got your attention. This recipe has you slathering cauliflower in a spicy yogurt marinade and roasting it at a high temperature. The result is an amazingly delicious dish that’s as dramatic in presentation as it is easy in preparation. Serve it with a big green salad (we suggest lime juice and olive oil for the dressing) for an easy weeknight supper or your next "the vegetarians are coming to dinner" party.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 head cauliflower
• 1½ cups plain Greek yogurt
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 2 tablespoons chile powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° and lightly grease a small baking sheet with vegetable oil. Set aside.

2. Trim the base of the cauliflower to remove any green leaves and the woody stem.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt with the lime zest and juice, chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, salt and pepper.

4. Dunk the cauliflower into the bowl and use a brush or your hands to smear the marinade evenly over its surface. (Excess marinade can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days and used with meat, fish or other veggies.)

5. Place the cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the surface is dry and lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes. The marinade will make a crust on the surface of the cauliflower.

6. Let the cauliflower cool for 10 minutes before cutting it into wedges and serving alongside a big green salad.

Blackberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan
• 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups fresh (or frozen) blackberries
• Whipped cream and/or ice cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter.

In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup sugar with the flour and milk. Whisk in the melted butter.

Rinse the blackberries and pat them dry. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle the blackberries evenly over the top of the batter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the blackberries. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 1 hour.

When 10 minutes of the cooking time remains, sprinkle The remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over the top. Top with whipped cream, ice cream... or both!

Mint Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet (60-percent) chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• One 4.67-ounce package chocolate mint thins, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

Directions

Position one rack in the center of the oven and one rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F.

Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the chocolate and butter in a small bowl and place over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool for 10 minutes.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the sugar eggs, 2 tablespoons water and vanilla to blend in a separate large bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the cooled chocolate using a rubber spatula. Fold in chocolate mint pieces. Chill dough to firm slightly, 10 minutes.

Using a 1/4 cup to measure, drop 6 mounds of batter onto each baking sheet, spacing apart. Put one sheet on the center rack in the oven, and one on the bottom rack.

Bake cookies 9 minutes. Switch the baking sheets (top to bottom) and bake the cookies until slightly puffed and dry looking with some small cracks on top, 9 to 10 minutes longer.

Cool completely on the baking sheets.

The Virtual Spoon and Joe are always looking for new recipes. Do you have a recipe you would like to share with our readers? Just mail your recipe to the Yellow Gazette, care of The Virtual Spoon. If you have a nice picture of the finished recipe, send us that too. And thanks to Cablecar Gal for her great recipes.

A big, BIG thank you to The Virtual Spoon from the staff at the YG: Ozman, Apooka, and Joe, for all the hard work she has put in to providing these delicious recipes for such a long time now, and her long patience at the speed of the process.