A perfect recipe for a romantic dinner that gives you delicious leftovers. Don’t worry about alcohol content. It cooks away, leaving behind a rich taste to enhance the meat.
Beef Braised in Stock & Red Wine
Egg Noodles, follow the package directions
Caesar Salad
Fresh Hard Rolls or a loaf of French bread from your local bakery and you won’t need butter
Red wine – Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon
Beef Braised in Stock & Red Wine
1 tsp. garlic pressed
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
¼ cup coarsely chopped carrots
8-10 half-inch pieces of bacon
¼ cup coarsely chopped celery
3 pounds English Cut or Rump Roast
½ cup dry red wine
3 tbsp. butter
2 cups beef stock
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped
½ cup coarsely onions, chopped
1 bay leaf
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix the garlic, oregano, pepper, and bacon together. Make deep incisions in the beef and insert the bacon blend.
In a heavy 10-12 inch skillet melt 1 tbsp. butter with the olive oil over moderate heat and brown the beef on all sides.
Melt the remaining butter over moderate heat in a Dutch oven. Combine the onions, carrots, and celery on a cutting board and chop them together until fine. Add this mixture into the butter in the Dutch oven. Stir frequently for 10 minutes or until the veggies are soft and lightly colored. Place the browned beef on top.
Discard most of the fat from the skillet, pour in the wine and boil it briskly over high heat, stirring and scraping in the browned fragments. When the wine’s reduced to about ¼ cup, add it to the Dutch oven with the beef stock, chopped tomatoes, and bay leaf. The liquid should come about a third of the way up the side of the beef. Add more stock if necessary. Bring it to a boil over high heat, cover tightly, and braise in the middle of the oven for 2 hours or until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
Next, and this is really important, pour yourself a glass of the red wine, grab a good book, and read for the duration of the cooking time.
To serve, transfer the meat to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 15 minutes. This allows all the natural juices to stay within the meat when you cut it.
Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a serving bowl, pressing hard on the vegetables to extract all their juice. Skim off as much fat as possible. Reheat as necessary. Slice the meat and arrange so the slices are overlapping. Moisten the slices with a little of the sauce and enjoy.
Your stove and countertop will be a mess from boiling down the wine. No problem! Grab the glass cleaner. A few sprays and it wipes right up.
Don’t worry about the quantity if you and your favorite partner are the only ones at the dinner table. Slice off just the amount of roast you think you’ll eat, and freeze the rest. It’s great for those days when you’re too busy to bother with more work.
Caesar Salad for Two
1 egg coddled
1 large glove garlic
½ tsp. Anchovy paste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
½ tbsp. lemon juice, preferably fresh
1 drop white vinegar or as close to as possible
¼ cup olive oil
Romaine lettuce, 3 leaves per person, washed and dried
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more if necessary
Remove egg from refrigerator while assembling all the ingredients on your counter.
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Carefully place the egg in the pan and coddle it for 2 minutes. Rinse under cold water, crack shell and scoop the runny egg into a small bowl. Break up the solid white pieces and lightly mix. Later, you will add some of this to the salad dressing.
In a large glass or wooden bowl, mash the garlic with a spoon and fork into coarse pieces. Rub the sides of the bowl with the oil that has been released.
Add the anchovy, pepper, and mustard. Mix well. Pour in the lemon juice and vinegar. Mix well. Add in ½ – ¾ of the coddled egg. Mix well. Blend in the olive oil until the dressing is frothy.
Tear the lettuce into bit-size pieces over the salad bowl. Toss, then add ¼ cup or so of Parmesan. Toss again. Serve in individual chilled bowls or plates and sprinkled with the remaining Parmesan. Serve immediately.
For a larger salad, adjust proportionally, but do not exceed two eggs.
