Guinness Stew

Guinness Stew was the first meal that our Little Miss ate (at 6 months old) with real gusto. I had figured that she was a fussy eater as she refused most everything I offered her. She did however, like Ella's Kitchen baby food available in the UK (when she and I visited my sister). This brand of food is terrific: combining a multitude of organic fruits and vegetables to make some really interesting flavors. I love that it comes in a re-sealable pouch so smaller quantities can be served - squeezed directly onto a spoon. Great for meals on the go.

I had suggested making a beef and red wine casserole for dinner one chilly Chicago winter night. My husband put in a request for Beef and Guinness Stew. I told him "No. I don't have any Guinness and besides, I don't have a recipe." I was then presented with 10 printed versions of Beef and Guinness recipes while he ran out to buy the Guinness. Really. Did I have any choice?! At the time, I didn't find any one recipe that I liked, so I combined several recipes.

Now we are emptying our fridge and freezer, I am somewhat restricted by what we still have: some beef and veal stew cubes from Fresh Picks, scant stalks of celery, parsley and carrots picked up at the last Farmers Markets, 8 prunes, not a skerrick of fresh thyme (the Cooks Thesaurus notes that oregano will do), 1 x clove of garlic, a handful of onions, some parsnips, a very small amount of flour... will have to send husband off for tomato puree and Guinness.

This dish is not a last-minute meal, but with a little planning and early preparation, it can cook itself. I started cooking the stew on Thursday night then finished cooking it for last nights dinner (while I prepared to go out!)

Here is my approximation of a recipe:

BEEF AND GUINNESS STEW

Ingredients:

2 pounds cubed stewing beef (trimmed of all fat and sinew and cut in 1'' cubes)

2 tblsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup flour (seasoned with salt, pepper and a good pinch of cayenne pepper)

2 large onions (3 x small), diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

16 oz Guinness

2 cups cut carrots (cut into rounds if smaller, dice if large carrots)

1 bay leaf

1 stalk fresh thyme (or oregano)

2 tblsp tomato puree / paste dissolved in 4 tblsp water

12 prunes, pitted

parsley (finely chopped for garnish)

Method:

In a plastic bag, toss beef with seasoned flour, shaking off excess.

In an ovenproof casserole (large enough to hold all ingredients), heat the oil over a high heat and brown the meat cubes all over. Reduce the heat, add the onions and celery and cook for a few minutes. Add a third of the Guinness, stirring to remove any baked on flour. Add rest of the Guinness and any remaining flour, carrots, tomato puree, bay leaf and thyme, stirring well to combine. Bring to a boil, then cover and braise in 300℉ oven for 2 hours (or up to 3 hours) until meat is tender. If stew is runny, finish cooking on stovetop, uncovered until gravy thickens

At approximately 45 minutes before the end of cooking time, add the prunes. Season to taste.

Remove the bay leaf and serve sprinkled liberally with parsley alongside mashed potatoes (or mashed potato and parsnip) and peas or steamed beans.

How does one *accidently* buy a house?

While we were in Fredericksburg, Bernadette arranged for a realtor, Sabrina, to show us a few houses to give us an indication of the local market. Sabrina, her brother Ken and his wife Patti did a sterling job of showing us a range of places that fit our criteria: 3-4 bedrooms, 2+ bathrooms, study, kitchen with adjacent living room, playroom / basement, backyard, etc. Nothing was quite right or mutually acceptable and we ended up with Paul’s heart set on one house, and mine on another. Realising we couldn’t agree, we set off to see Richmond, the capital of Virginia, and put the whole experience down to an initial reconnaissance mission. While we had space to clear our heads, Paul and I each started to see the virtues in the other’s pick. We spoke about it and realised that for resale potential, my choice was probably the better pick. We each had a lot to think about while we watched the children cavort around the Children’s Museum of Richmond. 

While Paul was off with the kids, Sabrina called and asked us what we thought. I told her that we didn’t quite agree... but how about she put in a verbal offer $25K less than the already reduced price - thinking that it would be rejected outright. I confessed to Paul and he agreed that for the price we offered, he would be happy with the choice. You can imagine our surprise when we found out that the offer was accepted - on the proviso that we settled quickly! 

On our way to Washington DC on a Saturday, we stopped into the house and had another look around with our realtors. This is when we started to get attached to our decision, and saw the potential in the house. We arrived in DC and caught up with Gabrielle, Craig, James and William who had only two days earlier, moved into their new house. We decided that we should really act on our decision quickly and put in a contract and deposit while still in the area. So... on Monday, we headed back to Fredericksburg to put in a formal contract. Then back to DC to stay with Gabrielle’s family before heading back to Chicago on Tuesday. Our trip home was rather tumultuous as we wondered if we had done the right thing. We then had to organise a building inspection, a mortgage and all those other ‘moving-type’ things. 

Due to the tightening-up of the once very lax mortgage market, we found it a very long process to secure a mortgage. Where once illegal immigrants were able to borrow 110% the value of a home, it was now considered too risky for a visa-holder, with a very good credit score, an excellent debt to income ratio and secure employment to be given a loan. It wasn’t until this last Wednesday evening that we were finally given the green light - PHEW - with just a week until settlement. 

We now sit, on a Saturday night, with the moving company arriving on Monday morning to pack up our household. We drive away from Chicago on Tuesday. We close the contract on Thursday, and then we wait until our furniture arrives. We are really going to miss the city life in Chicago. We also look forward the opportunities our family will have in a four bedroom house on almost 2½ acres!


POST NOTE May 2013: 
This post originally appeared in my previous blog: gearon.org 

Martin Wilson Photographic Montages

all images by Martin Wilson

I was really interested to see Martin Wilson's photographs. He photographs his 35mm images in a particular sequence to ensure a larger image is created once he arranges his film strips into a contact sheet.

I like that his art incorporates similar subject matter to the artworks I create with rum sum sum - only in a completely different way! I like the 'One Hundred' piece that he created for his Granny on her 100th birthday, using 'found' numbers to represent each year of her life. These artworks take painstaking planning.

Via booooooom

All photographs by Martin Wilson

Funky Lunch

image by Funky Lunch

Today I followed a swissmiss link to a site named Funky Lunch. The aim of the authors is to produce a book with fun yet healthy sandwich options to tempt fussy eaters. Have a look at their gallery for some fun ideas.

I like this idea for an Eric Carle inspired Very Hungry Caterpillar - what a great idea for a garden party!

Photograph by Mark Northeast at Funky Lunch

Drawing Summer to a close...

Summer activities are drawing to an end as the beginning of the school year looms. Our impending move seems to make the end of Summer appear more defined or final. This is not a good thing in Chicago as the Summer is impinged upon at either end by that domineering Winter. To finish it any sooner is sacrilegious!

Master 5 finished his Kung Fu classes today. He has been doing Kung Fu for a couple of months and has, on the whole, enjoyed the experience. He takes classes at Healthkick and adores his teacher Sifu Paula who seems to have a masterful way with kids. Last weekend, we attended a performance his school put on in Chinatown. Demonstrations were made at all skill levels. Four performers playing the parts of two dragons were particularly impressive.

The last soccer class will be next week. I enrolled the boys over the summer in Soccer classes with Chitown football - part of the Lil Kickers group. This was to give ourselves some sort of structure over the long gap in the school year - as well as provide an excuse to exercise and meet some new friends.

Our intention is to take the boys along to Soccer next Tuesday, have some lunch, then drive to Virginia! (well, part of the way at least).

Class photo

Tying up one those loose ends before our move, I dropped a class photo of Master 5's preschool class to his school this week. At the end of the last school year I took photographs of the students to incorporate into a thank you montage for each of the class's three teachers. The photos of the kids were so beautiful and natural, it seemed like a great opportunity to create a class photo as a memento for each family... and a great fundraising opportunity for the school! The school was thankful for the photograph and the nice packet of money too.

Master 5 was going to complete his final year in a Montessori preschool program this school year. We are sad that he is going to miss out. We are also going to miss his wonderful and caring teachers Mses Michele, Casey and Kimberley.

Empty that fridge

It is one week until we depart Chicago. It is beginning to sink in at last. WHERE HAS THAT TIME GONE! Now we have to do those mundane but necessary things like empty the refrigerator and work out what we eat/throw/donate... As someone that hates wasting food, I will have to use a little ingenuity.

The first item for tonight's dinner 'hit list' was a white eggplant the boys chose at a recent farmers markets. I think they loved the way it looked (as Master 5 is not a great fan of *eating* eggplant). I also had abundant coriander, basil, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella from last weeks market, some parsley and a pound of frozen ground lamb from Mint Creek Farm.

I decided that the eggplant would be turned into a baba ghanoush. This would also help to finish our tahini, drain a bottle of olive oil and use up a lemon. The coriander and lamb would make great meatballs and I could use the tomato, basil and mozzarella in a simple salad dressed with salt and olive oil. I thought this might look a little lonely on the plate so I opened a tin of garbanzo beans (chick peas) and dressed these with some chopped parsley, olive oil, salt and lemon juice.

BABA GHANOUSH

Ingredients:

Eggplant - medium to large (white is less bitter)

1 clove garlic

salt

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

juice of half lemon

olive oil

2 tblsp tahini

Method:

Using tongs, turn eggplant in flame on gas stovetop to char surface. If not quite cooked, zap in microwave for a minute (alternatively, rub with olive oil and roast in an oven). Peel the charred skin off then press out bitter juices in a colander. Using a stick mixer, blend with pinch of salt, chopped garlic and tahini. Add lemon juice and olive oil to taste. Stir through parsley. Alternatively just mash all ingredients with a fork if a chunkier consistency is desired.

MIDDLE EASTERN LAMB MEATBALLS

Ingredients:

1 pound (500g) ground lamb

pinch salt

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground allspice

1 cup coarsely chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves

olive oil

Method:

Blend onion, spices and coriander in a food processor. Add lamb and process until smooth. Shape into small balls or wrap around a wooden skewer (soaked in water for 30 mins). Fry in small amount of olive oil until brown and cooked through (or grill or broil kebabs on sticks). Drain on paper towel.

These recipes were adapted from The Cooks Companion by Stephanie Alexander. The absolutely brilliant tome and ONLY cookbook I will ever truly need.

The kids LOVE chick peas (garbanzo beans*) so I always have a tin handy. A great source of protein and fiber, these can quickly be turned into a hummus or simple salad or curry. The kids will eat a whole tin between them if I don't rescue them quickly enough.

This was a very successful meal with Master 3 and Little Miss 11 months eating everything without complaint. Master 5 brought up his aversion to eggplant, but insistence that it was really like 'Hummus' from Master 3, helped persuade him to finish his dinner.

* Master 5 once misheard and thought these were called Rapunzel beans - so we often call them by this name :-)