Boeuf Bourguignon for the Cookware Impaired

Last Sunday we undertook the great beef quest.  One last trip to the market to procure a nice piece of chuck and we were ready to begin.  Only to realize upon careful reading of the Boeuf Bouguignon recipe (pg. 72-73) that we needed a Dutch oven or other large oven-proof cookware, which we could not locate after our recent moves.  But we were not to be denied.  The ingredients were ready to go and so were we.  The crockpot became our slow cooker, and we believe the experiment was a success.  We followed the initial portions of the recipe, only transferring the meat and vegetables to the slow cooker as each batch was browned, added the seasonings, broth and wine.  We used a chianti - on special at the NH Liquor Store - I hope Julia (and Gail) forgives us for the wine selection.  The crockpot was set on high for about 3 hours.  We held back the mushrooms and frozen pearl onions, sauteing the mushrooms and warming the onions and adding them after 3 hours, and cooking for another hour or so.  Voila!  A complex and flavorful creation.  We so seldom have bacon that the rich bacon flavor was almost a shock to our tastebuds.  (We will probably use less bacon the next time - and there will be a next time - but that's us.)  We served it with noodles and winter squash. 

We had enough for Valentine's Day dinner the next night.  We made mashed potatoes and asparagus.  The mashed potatoes were an experiment.  Along with 3 large white spuds we added one sweet potato.  When mashed, the results had a soft orange color and the flavor had subtle sweet potato taste.  A recipe worth trying. 

We have to try at least two recipes each weekend, or at least it seems that way.  Saturday we made the Rosemary White Bean Soup (pg. 34).  I hate cleaning the blender and food processor, so I just mashed the beans with the potato masher.  It seemed to work just fine.  We also added some roast chicken breast that we had, and that worked out well.

Diane made the Curried Pumpkin Apple Soup (pg. 40) a few days ago.  She was cautious with the curry but probably could have used the full recipe amount.  Diane also dislikes cleaning the blender, so she used a fresh apple (ripe Mac), diced finely.  The soup was fine without using a blender or food processor.  It does make a very hearty and warming soup.  Excellent food for this long winter. 
John & Diane