in good taste, vol. 60: fireside chats
celebrity homes, awe walks, the seasonal beef bourguignon
We all seem to be taking small seasonal rituals Very Seriously this year, and I am all for it. I don’t know if it’s the pandemania or TikTok influencers or what, but the intensity around PSL, Nora Ephron films, hygge, chunky knits has hit full capacity.
It rained all day here, chilly and wet. We have chicken and yellow rice simmering in the cast-iron skillet. And lit a fire for the first ‘for real’ time in our gas fireplace. ‘Tis the damn season!
IF YOU WERE HERE, YOU’D READ THESE LINKS BY THE FIRE
The enduring magic of the McDonald’s hash brown (hashbrown? Hash-brown?)
Shocked by how much I love Vanessa Hudgens’s house. This might be new favorite celebrity home of all time
Speaking of celebrity video … is Vogue’s “73 Questions” in its flop era? (The short and correct answer is yes)
Learning about happiness through a month of ‘awe walks’
Where’s the lie? Millennials have a weird relationship with water and hydration
BOEUF BOURGUIGNON FOR THE SEASONAL PALATE
I don’t think I need to sell anyone on a slow-cooked, wine-rich beef stew, so consider this your sign to go make it this weekend.
The below recipe is the tamest version I’ve made -- previous iterations have involved Cognac; pearl onions; bold whole-grain mustard; Worcestershire, and all are scrumptious. But as with many things, the simplest version might be the best version yet.
For my vegetarian friends, reference my very first newsletter, featuring Mushroom Bourguignon!
Bonus content: an Idea Pin to walk you through it, 50% of which was shot using two oranges as a tripod. We are resourceful here in the Grim-Throop Coop.
INGREDIENTS
4 oz. bacon, chopped (chopping tip: it’s easier to do if you freeze the bacon a bit beforehand!)
2 lbs. beef stew meat
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. vegetable oil
2-3 carrots, diced
2-3 celery stalks, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 bottle of red wine
1 tbsp. flour
Bouquet garni: herbs of your choice (I used oregano, thyme, and parsley), tied up with kitchen twine
2 bay leaves
1 cup, beef stock
8 oz. bella mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp butter
WHAT TO DO
Preheat oven to 350. Fry bacon in vegetable oil until crispy, then set aside with a slotted spoon.
Brown stew meat on both sides, about 3 minutes per. Batch these pieces out — crowding the meat will steam it instead of browning. Set aside on a plate.
Sauté vegetables in the pot until soft, adding a pinch of salt to season. Add garlic and flour, cooking for a minute. Add tomato paste, mustard, bay leaves and bouquet garni, then the whole bottle of wine. Add meat and bacon back to the pot, cover and cook in the oven. Halfway through, give it a stir and add in the beef stock.
At the 30 minute mark, sauté mushrooms in butter, batching as needed until golden; sprinkle with a bit of Maldon salt.
Serve with baguette or over egg noodles.