Lilikoi & Thyme

Busy. I’ve been busy.  I’ve been in 3 cities in the last 5 days, Honolulu, Santa Barbara, and only a day in LA in between. All the stuff was really good stuff, and I’m feeling pretty invigorated by the pace that’s been set recently, but man, does it put a strain on my unwinding time in the kitchen.  To ensure that Daniel didn’t starve to death while I was gone, I slow roasted a pork shoulder (his favorite) and convinced him he’d love one of my beloved do-ahead classics, this amazing beef stew.  He had a boy’s weekend with his dad and with the pup, and by the time I got back into town yesterday, everything had been thoroughly enjoyed.  Now, what to cook next…

This stew is an amazing winter dish.  If we’re being proper, we’ll call this a Daube–it’s a french layered stew, simple and delicious, and nothing could be simpler.  This one takes on an East Asian personality with layers of spice and heat that make it even more satisfying.  Oversized cubes of beef and big hunks of veggies get a red wine and citrus marinade overnight, then a long slow simmer with rich beef stock.  It’s a long list of ingredients, but honestly, it’s all in the prep. I swear.  Since nothing needs to be browned, this hearty stew can even be done in a crockpot (busy girl’s best friend, right?). In fact, it’s one of those magical dishes that actually improves when it sits for a day in the fridge, so the only thing to do before dinnertime is cook up some rice or egg noodles, and chop up the persillade topping that brings a bright freshness to the bowl with it’s kick of raw garlic, grated citrus zest and parsley.

5-Spice Beef

• 3 lbs chuck or other stewing meat
• 3 tbs Chinese 5-spice powder
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 8 oz bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4″ x 1″ strips
• 3 onions, thinly sliced
• 6 medium carrots, thickly sliced
• 5 fresh tomatoes, diced, or two 8-0z cans
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• 4 cups beef stock

Marinade

• Bouquet garni of two bay leaves, 6-8 sprigs of thyme, and 6-8 parsley stems
• 3 star anise pods
• 10 peppercorns
• bottle red wine

Persillade

• Zest of 1 lemon or orange
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Large Dutch oven or casserole

Trim any fat from the beef, and cut it into 2-inch cubes.  Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle evenly with the 5-spice powder.  Spread olive oil in the bottom of a large, heavy Dutch oven or casserole.  Pile the beef in a layer in the bottom of the pot. Layer in the other ingredients in order of how long they’ll take to cook: bacon, followed by onions, carrots, and tomatoes.  The heat will come up from the bottom, cooking the meat long and slow and the veggies just enough. Sprinkle the chopped garlic, grated ginger and orange zest on top.  For the marinade, wrap the bouquet garni with the star anise and peppercorns in a square of cheesecloth and tie it up with twine.  Tuck the spice package into the vegetables, and pour in the whole bottle of wine.  Top with a layer of fresh pepper, cover and refrigerate 12-24 hours.

To cook the stew, preheat the oven to 350F. Pour enough beef stock over the stew to just cover. Bring the pot to a simmer on top of the stove, then transfer to the oven to stew slowly, just simmering, 4-6 hours, stirring once or twice.  If using a crockpot, bring the stew up to a simmer on high heat, then turn it down to low to cook.  If the stew is still full of liquid toward the end of cooking, uncover it for the last hour of cooking.  Continue to cook gently until the beef falls right off a two pronged fork when pierced and the carrots are tender but not falling apart. Chop the citrus zest with the garlic and parsley right before serving. Spoon the stew over rice or noodles, and sprinkle with persillade.  Put the rest of the persillade into a small bowl to pass at the table.