Sunday Dinner

*My mom and I at Saint Peter's Square. I felt this photo was much nicer homage to Italy than my stew that, while beyond delicious, doesn't look very pretty when captured via iPhone. I really need a good camera Chianti Marinated Italian Beef Stew
courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 1/2 to 3 pound beef brisket
1 (750 ml) bottle Chianti wine
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-ounce) piece pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 stalk celery, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) kalamata olives, halved
6 ounces green beans, halved
4 medium red potatoes, quartered
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sage leaves
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 cups beef broth
Directions
Place the beef in a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish. Pour the wine over the meat and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 1/2 hours. Turn the meat over and marinate for another 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the meat from the wine and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve the wine.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Season the meat on all sides with salt and pepper. Using tongs, place the meat in the pan and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes each side. Remove the meat and add the remaining oil. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, olives, green beans, potatoes, rosemary, and sage. Cook for 3 minutes. Pour the reserved wine, tomatoes, and beef broth into the pan, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the meat to the pan and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender.

Remove the meat and the rosemary sprigs from the stew. Place the meat on a cutting board and cut into quarters. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Add the shredded meat to the stew and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes.

*This stew is abundant with taste, the down side is the time. Start early, maybe even the day before (which is what I did). In my case, the brisket needed several hours to become fork tender (cooking time may vary). This recipe is going in my box, will definitely make again.

Grilled Salt & Vinegar Potatoes

Photo by Heidi Swanson. Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living

2 cups / 475 ml white wine vinegar

1 pound / 16 oz / 450 g waxy potatoes (see head notes), cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus more for seasoning

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

fennel salt* to taste (optional)

Pour the vinegar into a medium saucepan, then stack (or arrange) the potatoes so the vinegar covers them completely. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are just fork tender. You want them to hold their shape, so they don't fall apart on the grill later. Let the potatoes cool in the vinegar for 30 minutes. Drain well, then very gently toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Heat the grill to medium high. Grill potatoes, covered if possible, until golden on one side, then flip and grill the other side - roughly 3 - 5 minutes per side. Serve sprinkled with salt or fennel salt to taste.

Serves 4.

*To make fennel salt: toast 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds in a skillet, pound to a powder with a mortar and pestle, then combining it with about two tablespoons of flaky sea salt.


I found this over at 101 Cookbooks (see side reads). A few words come to mind: interesting, acquired taste and pucker. I used white wine vinegar like Heidi suggested but I'm sure (as she stated in her entry) you can use any vinegar you like. The fennel salt was a surprise treat, so aromatic! I loved everything about the deep, licorice scent and taste. Homemade fennel salt will be a regular in my spice collection from now on.
We paired the potato's with chicken but I think beef would have been a better accompaniment. Wash down with wine of your choice as this side seems like it would go with anything.