Beef stew with orange and cumin

The planes are making that sound like they're shearing the frozen skies as they lumber overhead, so you wake up knowing it's bone chilling. Windchill warnings are ubiquitous. Stew weather.

This recipe is sort of stew methodology meets chili flavors.
 

Orange cumin beef stew
Adapted from “Carry-Out Cuisine” by Phyllis Méras. The original source of the recipe was the Monticello Gourmet in Washington, D.C. I've made a small handful of recipes from this compendium of gourmet takeout recipes, and two of them are from that establishment. I'd love to visit if it still exists, but this is an older edition. (Coincidentally, I just made their delightful spinach vichyssoise again this week; the place seemed to have cold weather comfort food down pat.)

Ingredients
3 pounds beef chuck for stew, cut into 2-inch pieces
Cooking oil
½ cup orange juice
½ cup broth
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
4½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1½ teaspoons ground allspice
1 bay leaf
Zest of 1 orange
10 ounces pearl onions, peeled (or half of a 16-ounce bag frozen)
1 pound small mushrooms cut into quarters
Butter for cooking onions and mushrooms

Method
Heat a generous skim of oil in a large pot. Salt beef cubes and add to pan in a single layer, browning on all sides, and working in batches as needed. Return all beef to pot and add orange juice, broth, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, light bornw sugar, cumin, oregano, allspice, bay leaf and orange zest. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1½ hours until beef is tender. This will give you time to peel all those pesky little onions.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a large skillet, I'm guessing I used about a tablespoon. Add onions and cook over medium heat until lightly browned. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are softened and their liquid has cooked the onions. Add to stew pot.

Rating: The sauce has that thick stew sludgy, fudgy consistency, almost mole like. The cumin and orange flavors are an interesting twist on stew, and do indeed make you think of chili. A good option for when sauces need to be as thick as your sweaters.

Dave's comment: This is like a starting point for a sauce that could replace ketchup, a sauce that could go on anything.

 

Coconut pumpkin soup

 

I always think it's good karma to start out the new year with a new recipe, to set the tone for the year and start to get traction. This time it's a soup to use up some of those free pumpkins. Happy New Year.

Coconut pumpkin soup
Adapted from a magazine clipping. I’m not sure from which magazine; it was from one or the other of two magazines of which I received a promo copy, I think Food Network magazine and possibly Good Housekeeping. The same recipe appeared in both, apparently sponsored content from McCormick spices and Delish kitchen. You can find the Delish recipe on its site here, although it’s interesting to note that the website recipe calls for a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger instead of powdered, a change probably reflective of the spice company backing.

Ingredients
2-pound pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 onion, chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and cut fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground ginger
4 cups broth
1 can (13.6-ounce) coconut milk, unsweetened
Optional garnish: chopped parsley and toasted pumpkin seeds

Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss pumpkin and sweet potato chunks with salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy pot, heat remaining oil. Add onion and cook for about 10 minutes. Add carrots, cover and cook until vegetables are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, coriander, paprika and ginger and cook for one minute. Add broth and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and let cool slightly. Add pumpkin and sweet potato chunks to pot. Puree with a stick blender.  Adjust seasonings to taste. Heat through and serve with a garnish of parsley and pumpkin seeds if desired. A swirl of additional coconut milk would also work as a garnish.

Rating: Perfectly pleasant. I feel like perhaps I like some of the squash coconut milk soups I previously tried slightly more, including this slow cooker version, but I would happily make this one again. Very pantry friendly. Makes 6 servings, so I'm starting the new year with some soup in the bank and one less pumpkin taking up room on the basement shelf.