Beef Braised in Red Wine with Potato Puree

If I had to choose one dish that perfectly symbolizes winter, this would be the one. Not a winter goes by without it making several appearances at my table. It does mutate a little each year though, usually by adding a little dash of something new or by the exclusion of one element or another. You know, to represent the “zeitgeist”. Similar to the way fashion evolves each season. This year I chose to add orange juice and cassia bark (to the braise) and finely chopped orange zest and parsley (to sprinkle over at the end)
Essentially it is the same as Coq au Vin. If you would like my recipe go here. Substitute well-marbled beef for the chicken. Oyster blade steak is the best in my opinion for braising and stews. The meat in marinade pictured below is so completely marbled it almost looks like wagyu.

Obviously the cooking time will be longer. You will know when it is ready- the meat will fall to pieces with the gentlest of touches.
As I mentioned earlier, it is good to add a little something extra to give the dish an individual character. Cubes of pumpkin or sweet red peppers instead of mushrooms and pickling onions make a pleasant change. Or you can vary the flavours by adding spices- cardamom, chili, cumin, and paprika. Port can be substituted for red wine. The list is endless and limited to your imagination. And I would leave out the chicken livers when doing the beef version.
Moving right along. Please don’t think that I pipe my potato puree into pretty rosettes on a regular basis. I did it for the photo. The only other time I have done it was for a dinner I cooked for a friend. I must have been desperate to impress. Oh dear- very desperate indeed!
And yes. In my house it is called “potato puree”. Not mash. I cannot stand to eat English style mashed potatoes- stodge, stodge and more stodge.

This how I have done mine for years:
For two people you will need 500g floury potatoes. I use Toolangi Delight (pictured below) - an Australian variety with a white flesh and purple skin. Peel the potatoes, cut into large chunks and steam until tender. Pass them through the mouli (the disc with the smallest holes) into a clean saucepan.
Add a splash of milk, cream and a generous amount of cultured unsalted butter. I have never measured these amounts, so I am guessing about 50ml of each. Add also 1 tsp of cumin, plenty of fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper. Place over a gentle heat and stir like crazy until all the elements are well combined and the mixture is hot.
You can adjust the consistency by adding more or less milk. If you are making the puree ahead of time (and I often do) put it into a microwave proof bowl and cover with cling wrap. It reheats successfully in the microwave- just give it a stir every minute or so.
Following this method your puree will be light and fluid in texture, with a delicate, rich flavour.

Chicken Story 2 - A Sinister Stew

My recipe today is based on the classic French dish- Coq au Vin.
However, I shall refrain from calling it such out of respect for tradition. My adaptation deviates from the genuine formula on a few essential qualities. I have chosen to name mine: The Sinister Stew, after a divine inspiration from the late Jennifer Paterson, of “The Two Fat Ladies” fame.
My version is not made with a “coq”, which is French for rooster. I use the superb chicken of which I am currently obsessed (see my previous post). I am assuming roosters are unobtainable in this country, although I have never asked. You could use pieces of wild rabbit leg. I have a feeling their taste may be comparable.
Nor do I use the proper “vin”. The true recipe originates from Burgundy. Therefore one should use a wine from this region in France. I have utilized Australian Pinot Noir. Use whatever wine is appropriate to your country and personal taste. When I come to think of it, this dish may be good done with rosé wine. Pink meat with pink wine sounds good to me.
To thicken the stew, the blood is drained from the coq and added to the stew. I find this creepy practice too vampire-esque for my liking. Instead I take lead from acclaimed French chef Paul Bocuse, and use a puree of chicken livers to thicken and enrich the stew. Do not skip this step. It makes a considerable difference to the end result, both for flavour and texture.
I have been cooking this dish since I was a teenager. It appealed to me then, just as much as it appeals to me now, 20 years later. I read recently in the current issue of an Australian food magazine that this particular dish has come back into style after an extended hiatus. Really? I think this is nonsensical. Does anyone really care for food trends? I certainly don’t. The only trends I care for are ones to do with beauty and fashion. When it comes to food, the only thing, which matters to me, is how it tastes. A sinister stew, but a classical one.

Ingredients
1 kilo corn fed, free range, organic chicken (use thigh and leg, skin removed and cut into smaller pieces)
750ml Pinot Noir
Bay leaves, parsley and thyme
Flour, for dusting
100g pancetta, cut into 1 cm cubes
1 tbsp duck fat
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
50g chicken livers, cleaned
50ml cognac (I use brandy)
Fresh black pepper
10 pickling onions, blanched for 5 minutes in boiling water and peeled
50g unsalted cultured butter
1-2 tsp brown sugar
10 small shitake mushrooms (or use swiss browns)

Method
Firstly, you need to marinate the chicken pieces for 24 hours. Simmer the entire bottle of red wine for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the bay leaf, thyme and parsley stalks. Allow the herbs to infuse the wine, and cool. Pour the cooled marinade over the chicken pieces. I use a plastic container or a glass bowl. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
Select a braising pan that will be able to accommodate all of the above ingredients. Over a low heat, fry the pieces of pancetta with the duck fat for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Add the finely chopped onion and garlic and continue to cook for another 10- 15 minutes until they too have gilded.
In the meantime, remove the chicken pieces from their wine and herb bath. The chicken pieces will be stained a dark shade of burgundy. Pat the pieces dry, dust the lightly with flour. Strain the marinade and reserve. Discard the herbs.
Remove the pancetta, onion and garlic to a small plate, and set aside. There should still be some fat left in the pan, if not add more duck fat. Seal the chicken and livers on a higher heat, about 1 minute each side or until lightly golden. Remove the livers once they are golden. Puree the liver with the reserved marinade in a food processor or blender.

In a separate pan, begin to caramelize the pickling onions in the butter. Do this slowly; it is vital the butter does not burn. The process should take about 30 minutes. When the onions are tender, add 1 tsp of sugar (towards the end). Set the caramelized onions and their golden fat aside. You can do this step earlier if it saves you hassle or stress.
In a tiny saucepan, gently heat the cognac or brandy. Set it alight and pour the flames over the chicken pieces. Return the reserved pancetta and onion mix to the chicken and brandy. Pour over the liver and wine mixture. Add more bay and thyme. Put in the mushrooms too. Season with pepper. Simmer gently until the chicken is tender, and beginning to fall of the bone. Towards the end, add the pickling onions and all their fat. It may seem like an excessive amount of fat to add to a dish, but it balances the acidity from the wine. Add more sugar if you think it needs it. The end result should be succulent chicken pieces in a dark and rather ominous looking sauce. Do not be deceived by the sinister appearance; the aromas and flavors are divine. Sprinkle with parsley to brighten the dish.

I don’t serve this dish with anything but crusty bread. I find the flavours too dominant and complex to go with anything else (even potato puree). Serve with the same wine, as used in the braise. Serves 4.

Roasted Quail with Red Wine, Sage and Thyme

As soon as the weather turns remotely autumnal, I go nuts and start cooking everything with red wine. And by “autumnal” I mean anything under 30c. By the time March comes around I have had enough of summer (well actually, I had enough back in December) and I cant wait to start cooking with the flavours of autumn and the approaching winter.
You could do this dish with squab pigeons, just increase the cooking times. Make sure to keep the meat pink and juicy.

Ingredients
4 quail
30 ml extra virgin olive oil
10ml red wine
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp chopped sage
Fresh black + white peppers
Sea salt
600 ml rich, dark quail stock (or other stock)
300ml red wine. extra
2 tsp sugar or to taste
1 tsp of tomato paste or a splash of tomato puree (optional)
10g butter

Method
Cut away the backbone from the quails. Reserve the backbones for future stock.
Lay out the birds, as shown in the photograph, and apply pressure to the breast with your hand to flatten out. Cut away the wing at the first joint.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, red wine (10ml), herbs and peppers.
Rub all over the quail. Leave to marinate, either, in the fridge for a long time or for a short time at room temperature.
In the meantime reduce the stock and the extra red wine (and tomato, if using) to a glaze consistency. Add sugar to balance the acid levels. Set aside.
Preheat your oven to the highest setting. Place the quail, breast side down in a baking dish and season with salt. Roast for 6 minutes. Turn them over, so they are breast side up. Season the breasts with a pinch of salt, and roast for a further 2 minutes.
The quail will be perfectly tender and moist after this time. Don’t expect them to have browned. 8 minutes in the oven is not enough time to color them.
Allow the quail to rest while you get on with the sauce.
Bring the sauce back to the boil, and add the butter, emulsifying it into the reduction. Serve the quail with the red wine reduction and a plate of roast vegetables.
4 quail will serve 2 people.