12-in/30.5-cm skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the bacon and cook, stirring, until it has given off its fat but isn’t crispy yet, about 2 minutes. Add the beef and ½ tsp salt and spread the beef cubes out in an even layer in the pan. Let the meat brown on one side without moving it, about 3 minutes. Turn the meat with tongs or a fork to brown on a second side, another 2 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, paprika, and tomato paste and continue to sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and the bottom of the pan gets nice and brown, about4 minutes longer. Add the potatoes, beef broth, vinegar, and a few grinds of pepper and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt. Combine the milk and butter in a cup and microwave on high for 10 seconds at a time until the butter is melted. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls into the simmering stew; you should have enough for about about eight dumplings.
3. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the stew until the vegetables and dumplings are tender, about 15 minutes. (Don’t peek! The steam will be released and your dumplings may not be as puffy and light as they could be.) To check for doneness, run a toothpick into a dumpling. It should come out with dry crumbs adhering to it, not wet and gooey. If it’s wet, cover and cook another 3 minutes and check again.
4. Scoop the dumplings into warmed bowls. Taste the stew for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper if needed. Ladle the stew over the dumplings and top each portion with a dollop of the sour cream. Serve hot.
it’s that easy: I direct you to brown the meat and then add vegetables, paprika, and tomato paste, and cook until it all browns on the bottom of the pan. Don’t stress over what might seem like a sticky pan; the browned bits will all come up when you add the broth, and the flavor of the stew will be the richer for it.
extra hungry? For a lovely salad to pair with this stew, peel, seed, and thinly slice a cucumber and blend it with 1 to 2 tbsp sour cream, a splash of white wine vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.
in the glass: Every now and then a Merlot is the right wine for a dish—and this is one of those times. Look for bottlings by Rutherford, Simi, Clos du Bois, and Round Hill, all enjoyable quaffs.
Beef Stew
in HIGH HEELS
Sounds messy, right? But what I’m talking about here is a dressed-up version of beef stew. Akin to boeuf bourguignon, this rendition is miraculously simple and fast, and, per our method in this book, made in one pan. I call for those cute little baby onions (frozen, of course), which are the foundation of the traditional mélange of peas, carrots, red wine, and cubed sirloin, all held together in a lightly thickened sauce so good you will want to swipe up every last drop with a piece of baguette.
........
START TO FINISH 45 minutes
...
HANDS-ON TIME 30 minutes
...
serves 2
........
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 oz/340 g sirloin steak (see “It’s that easy”), cut into 1-in/2.5-cm cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cup/115 g frozen pearl onions, thawed
½ tsp dried thyme
½ cup/120 ml dry, full-bodied red wine
2 new potatoes, scrubbed, quartered, and thinly sliced
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups/480 ml low-sodium beef broth
½ cup/70 g frozen peas, thawed
1 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1. In a large, shallow bowl, stir together the flour, ½ tsp salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Add the meat and toss to coat it well on all sides in the seasoned flour.
2. Heat a 12-in/30.5-cm skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp of the olive oil. When the
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt. Combine the milk and butter in a cup and microwave on high for 10 seconds at a time until the butter is melted. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls into the simmering stew; you should have enough for about about eight dumplings.
3. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the stew until the vegetables and dumplings are tender, about 15 minutes. (Don’t peek! The steam will be released and your dumplings may not be as puffy and light as they could be.) To check for doneness, run a toothpick into a dumpling. It should come out with dry crumbs adhering to it, not wet and gooey. If it’s wet, cover and cook another 3 minutes and check again.
4. Scoop the dumplings into warmed bowls. Taste the stew for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper if needed. Ladle the stew over the dumplings and top each portion with a dollop of the sour cream. Serve hot.
it’s that easy: I direct you to brown the meat and then add vegetables, paprika, and tomato paste, and cook until it all browns on the bottom of the pan. Don’t stress over what might seem like a sticky pan; the browned bits will all come up when you add the broth, and the flavor of the stew will be the richer for it.
extra hungry? For a lovely salad to pair with this stew, peel, seed, and thinly slice a cucumber and blend it with 1 to 2 tbsp sour cream, a splash of white wine vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.
in the glass: Every now and then a Merlot is the right wine for a dish—and this is one of those times. Look for bottlings by Rutherford, Simi, Clos du Bois, and Round Hill, all enjoyable quaffs.
Beef Stew
in HIGH HEELS
Sounds messy, right? But what I’m talking about here is a dressed-up version of beef stew. Akin to boeuf bourguignon, this rendition is miraculously simple and fast, and, per our method in this book, made in one pan. I call for those cute little baby onions (frozen, of course), which are the foundation of the traditional mélange of peas, carrots, red wine, and cubed sirloin, all held together in a lightly thickened sauce so good you will want to swipe up every last drop with a piece of baguette.
........
START TO FINISH 45 minutes
...
HANDS-ON TIME 30 minutes
...
serves 2
........
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 oz/340 g sirloin steak (see “It’s that easy”), cut into 1-in/2.5-cm cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cup/115 g frozen pearl onions, thawed
½ tsp dried thyme
½ cup/120 ml dry, full-bodied red wine
2 new potatoes, scrubbed, quartered, and thinly sliced
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups/480 ml low-sodium beef broth
½ cup/70 g frozen peas, thawed
1 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1. In a large, shallow bowl, stir together the flour, ½ tsp salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Add the meat and toss to coat it well on all sides in the seasoned flour.
2. Heat a 12-in/30.5-cm skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp of the olive oil. When the
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