As we amble into autumn, with its sometimes chilly nights that whisper wintry warnings, these long-simmered dishes are perfect for placing on the edge of a hot wood stove and allowing to bubble till mealtime. If you don’t have a wood stove, you can, of course, try these on your more modern appliances and imagine you smell woodsmoke from an open fire while waiting for the moment to serve them forth. You can also dish these up on a rainy day or a chilly evening, at any time of year.
Boeuf Bourguignon
Starting off big and bold with a classic French recipe which is essentially beef cooked in red wine, this is the perfect rainy or snowy-day pot. It’s just the recipe to pull out when you want to show off a little French flair!
Ingredients:
- Generous amount of fresh cubed beef
- 1 large onion plus 2 dozen pearl onions
- Several carrots
- Package of bacon
- A handful of mushrooms, either from the woods or from the store
- 1 bottle red wine, preferably the same one you’ll be drinking with the dish
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
- 1 tablespoon flour (optional)
- Bouquet garni: Parsley (set aside a few extra sprigs for garnish to dish); Thyme; Bay leaf; Celery stick
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- A dozen or so small whole potatoes
Preparation:
Dice and sauté bacon in the bottom of a Dutch oven or heavy pan. When crispy, remove and set aside. Throw chopped onion in the bacon fat and sauté until translucent. Remove and set aside as well. Throw cubed beef (about 1 inch square) in the pot, a layer at a time, add salt and pepper, and brown on all sides. Add one diced carrot, return the onions to the pot, along with a bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and celery stick tied together with kitchen twine), and the tomato paste if you wish a richer flavor. At this point you can add a spoonful of flour (if you like a thicker sauce) and stir for a few minutes until it completely coats the other ingredients. Pour in a bottle of wine, let simmer for a few moments without the lid, stirring to make sure nothing is attached to the bottom of your Dutch oven, and then cover and simmer on low heat for 2–3 hours.
Meanwhile, peel and cut your carrots (apart from the one already in the pot), along the bias, in 2-inch segments. Braise them in butter or oil, along with the peeled pearl onions, and set aside. Clean and slice your mushrooms and sauté in butter, crisping up for garnish at the last minute so they aren’t soggy.
About 40 minutes before you are ready to serve, put the potatoes on to boil, along with a bay leaf for extra flavor. To serve, ladle the Bourguignon onto the center of a plate, surround it with potatoes, top with the braised carrots and onions, the mushrooms, and the bacon. Sprinkle with a bit of fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Camp Cassoulet
Culinary icon Jacques Pépin is a master of simple, satisfying recipes, with bona fide French flair. This recipe is inspired by his quick take on the classic French cassoulet, a long-cooked bean and sausage dish traditionally including duck and “haricots Tarbais” (a certain kind of flat bean from the Pyrénées region) and served in an earthenware dish topped with oven-crusted breadcrumbs.
Ingredients:
- 1 onion
- Several cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tomato, or some canned tomatoes, or some tomato paste (even ketchup if it’s all you have)
- Several sausages, even hot dogs if that is what you have on hand
- Leftover chicken or duck if you have it
- A can of white beans (butter beans are extra good)
- Parsley to garnish
- Optional breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Dice onion and garlic, and sauté in oil, along with sausages. Add tomato and beans, and enough liquid to keep from sticking to the pan. Season, cover, and simmer until all is tender. Garnish with chopped parsley, and serve in ceramic bowls, topped with breadcrumbs if you wish (in which case you’ll want to stick them in the oven until they brown on top).
Brunswick Stew
While you might think the origin of this stew is New Brunswick, Canada it is actually claimed by both Brunswick County, Virginia and Brunswick, Georgia, and is likely southern in origin, if originally inspired by Native Americans. If you happen to have squirrel meat in your pantry, this is the stew for you. If not, rabbit or chicken will do.
Ingredients:
- 1 chicken, 2 rabbits, or several squirrels, cut into pieces
- 1-2 tablespoons shortening (butter or bacon fat)
- 1 chopped onion
- A couple of tomatoes
- 1-2 cups Lima beans
- 1 cup corn
- Cayenne to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Dash of Worcestershire sauce if you have it
Preparation:
Sauté meat until light brown, add onion and, when translucent, follow with the tomatoes, then the beans, corn and seasonings. Add water to cover, and simmer until all is tender. Serve piping hot with crusty bread or cornbread.
Polly's Barbecued Soybeans
My mother, Polly Gott, is a cook by default, much preferring to be out on the trail with her paintbrushes, or cozied up in her studio, framing her watercolors. These days she lets others do the cooking, but every once in a while, she’ll pull out an old chestnut, which she cooks up on the woodstove. This has always been my request for special occasions. If you like vegetarian or vegan fare, this one will work for you too.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups cooked soy (or other dried) beans
- 3 medium onions
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 quart tomatoes (preferably home-canned or fresh)
- ¼ cup oil
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 fresh or 1 dried hot pepper
- ¼ cup vinegar or ½ cup lemon juice
Preparation:
Hydrate beans overnight.
Sauté onion and garlic together, in oil, over low heat. Add tomatoes and stir well. Add molasses, soy sauce, allspice, hot peppers, and vinegar. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, then add drained beans and stir.
Cook for another 15–20 minutes (longer if necessary, depending on type of bean you have), letting the beans and sauce meld together so that the sauce flavor permeates the beans. Serve with baked potatoes, from the hearth, topped with butter and salt.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Susi Gott Séguret, CCP, CSW, hails from the depths of Appalachia in Madison County, North Carolina, but honed her culinary skills in France, where she resided for over 20 years, earning a diploma in Gastronomy and Taste from the Cordon Bleu and the Université de Reims. Author of several cookbooks including Appalachian Appetite, Adirondack Appetite (from which these particular recipes were extracted), and Cooking with Truffles, Susi orchestrates multiple sensory experiences including the Seasonal School of Culinary Arts, the Asheville Truffle Experience, and the Appalachian Culinary Experience. Passionate about elements of taste and style, and how they extend from our palate into our daily lives, Susi strives to blend food, music, words and images into a tapestry for the senses. For more details, visit quintessentialtable.com.