A lot of underground growers

No teenager wants to hear that there will be lettuce in the vegetable soup. They barely want to hear about vegetable soup, period. That was my — negative — reaction back in high school, when I was informed that this concoction was on the menu. I’d had a long day, slaving over a pep rally, AmCiv and glee club. My mother was taking a class with a local cooking teacher, Aileen Martin, who’d been trained in France and was very French in her approach to food. Mom says she lived next door to *Julia Child* when she lived in France, and I’ve found her name referenced in one of Simone Beck’s papers. She was the real thing, in any case, and made a big impression. And this was one of her recipes.

That was the year my mother came home with a Cuisinart, a mandoline, a baguette pan, a hinged pain de mie pan, and sharp-as-hell carbon knives. It was also the year that my own culinary eyes were opened, and to this day I preserve the “AM” embossed sheets that were handed out at mom’s lessons. There was an excellent and atmospheric kitchenware store in Tulsa (owned by the same Ralph Blaine who penned the lyrics to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”) where all these kitchen goodies were purchased. I still covet her original Cuisinart since it has no safety attachments whatsoever. And I’d love to have that store in my neighborhood.

It’s been years since I’ve made this particular stew, but I thought of it when I decided to conjure up some cold weather here in Los Angeles. I’ve also made some changes to it, but the lettuce stays. It makes the stew beautiful and controversial. And my teenager loved it.

Add one cozy fire, a couple of friends or family, and combine well

Winter Vegetable Stew | 6 to 8 servings

7 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
Pinch of dried thyme (about 1/2 teaspoon)
3 leeks
3 carrots
3 parsnips
3 turnips
2 potatoes
4 ounces leaf spinach (about 3 cups)
1 head Boston (or butterhead) lettuce, green or redleaf
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
Minced parsley

In a large stockpot, begin heating the chicken stock with the thyme while you prepare the vegetables.

Trim most of the green leaves off the leeks, trim off the root, and cut in half lengthwise. Rinse well, separating the layers to clear out any grit.

Leeks hold a lot of grit between the layers, so rinse well

Slice into 1-inch pieces.

Leeks give a subtle onion plus garlic flavor -- Nero thought it improved his singing voice so he ate them by the bushel

Cut the carrots, parsnips, turnips and potatoes into rough cubes, without peeling.

Skip peeling, and it will add even more nutrients to the stew

It's the first frost that gives the parsnip its characteristic sweetness, making it the king of winter veggies

Look for small but heavy turnips -- large, old ones are starchy

Rinse the spinach well and coarsely chop.

I used baby spinach leaves here and didn't removed the stems

Rinse the Boston lettuce and break into large pieces. Set the spinach and lettuce aside.

To the almost simmering stock add the leeks, carrots, parsnips, turnips and potatoes, reserving the spinach and lettuce till the end.

The pot will seem very crowded

Cook over medium-low heat until the vegetables are just tender, about 30 minutes. Take care not to boil the liquid — vegetables are at their best if cooked gently, like poaching, with just a shimmer on the top of the broth. This keeps them from becoming shaggy.

While the vegetables are cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When it foams up, add the flour and whisk to combine.

This is just a basic roux to slightly thicken the stew

Whisk and cook the mixture for 2 minutes, without letting it brown.

The one-to-one mixture of flour and butter is the basis of any roux

Ladle broth from the stew pot into the mixture and whisk to combine. Reduce the heat to low and add enough broth to have a creamy roux. Turn off the heat and set aside until needed.

Hot broth is more easily incorporated into the butter/flour mixture than a cold liquid

In minutes you have a smooth white or blond roux that will thicken any soup or be the base for many cream and cheese sauces

When the vegetables are just tender, pour the roux into the stew and stir in gently. Season well with salt and pepper.

It just adds a little body to the broth

Add the chopped spinach and Boston lettuce. Press the leaves into the broth.

It will look like it won't fit, but use a spoon to press the lettuce down into the stew

The greens quickly wilt and incorporate into the mix

Cook the stew another 5 minutes only. Stir in the heavy cream and add more salt and pepper if needed.

A beautful pot of goodness

Heat for a minute or two and serve, sprinkled with parsley. And please, let it bring on a good reason to light a fire in the fireplace.

Kelly McCune © 2010

©2010 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

Just the thing on a chilly evening

This past summer Daughter #1 went on a French Onion Soup jag, producing several delicious versions of this classic dish for us. As I saw it, the only problem was that this soup was rich and seemed “wintery” for 95°+ Los Angeles. But the chill has returned to the air around here, and it’s down to an icy 54° at night. This is when I crave the flavor of deep caramelized onions and…brisket.

The memory of those great onion soups and the hibernation-like urge for brisket motivated me to combine the best elements of both. What I came up with took me to yet another place, deep in the recesses of my memory: Aunt Laria’s brisket. Aunt Laria was not really my aunt (in the current era of first-names only, do parents do this any more — designate a close family friend as “aunt” to skirt the whole Mr./Mrs. thing?). Anyway, Aunt Laria shredded her brisket after hours of cooking, and we slopped it straight from the pot onto great palettes of Wonderbread schmeared with margarine. Okay, what I’ve come up with here isn’t exactly like that, but the ideas collided in my brain.

Brisket is a cut located below the shoulder or chuck, and above the shank. It is the best cut for corned beef and is also a great cut for standard pot roast since it has enough streaky fat to keep the meat tender and moist.

Brisket has a very obvious "grain" along which it will be shredded

The extra step of caramelizing the onions before cooking them with the beef adds depth of flavor to the broth, making this something between a pot roast and a stew. The “crouton” from French Onion Soup makes its appearance, but instead of Gruyere there is tangy horseradish cream for the top. Make this on the weekend when you have the time, and when you can luxuriate with the crossword (or the football game) while the kitchen fills with the smells of a good meal to come.

French Onion Brisket | 4 to 6 servings

Four servings if you want leftovers, which are good on top of noodles with some horseradish cream stirred in. Allow about 1/3 pound of beef per person, and allow 1 large onion for every pound of brisket.

3 pounds beef brisket
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 very large onions
1/2 cup dry red wine
6 whole garlic cloves
2 sprigs fresh sage
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 cups (32 ounces) beef broth
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons half & half
1 heaping tablespoon creamy-style horseradish
Pinch of sugar
8 bread slices
Grainy mustard
Fresh chives, minced

Trim the brisket of any large pieces of fat.

The butcher can do this for you if you ask, but the brisket is by nature a somewhat "fatty" cut

Heat the olive oil over medium-high in a Dutch oven or large lidded pot. Salt and pepper the beef liberally and brown both sides, about 5 minutes per side.

My old Magnalite Dutch oven (or "Roasterette"), pitted and stained but a workhorse

Get a nice deep color on each side

Remove the brisket to a dish and set aside while you cook the onions.

Slice the onions lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices.

Trim, halve and peel first, then slice

After removing the browned brisket, add the onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high. Cook the onions for a total of 30 minutes, lowering the heat as they cook to keep them from sticking. Stir them from time to time as they cook.

The onions start out looking like a huge quantity

But they cook down significantly

Increase the heat to medium-high, add the wine and cook until the wine is mostly evaporated.

This de-glazing with wine will also pick up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot

Turn the heat off under the onions. Preheat the oven to 320°F. Put the brisket and accumulated juices back in the Dutch oven with the onions. Slightly smash 5 of the garlic cloves and add them to the pot, along with 1 sage sprig and 1 rosemary sprig.

The garlic will dissolve into the broth, but the sprigs of sage and rosemary will need to be removed

Add the beef broth and then supplement with enough water to come just to the top edges of the brisket.

A good, snug cover on the Dutch oven holds the moisture in

Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until the beef is very tender when pierced with a fork.

While the beef is cooking, make the horseradish cream. To the sour cream add the half & half, horseradish, and pinch of sugar and mix well. Refrigerate until needed.

This cream is good with any roasted or braised beef

When the meat is fork-tender, remove it from the oven. Pull the brisket from the broth and put it on a large platter. Discard the sage and rosemary sprigs. With two forks, shred the brisket along the grain, pulling it into long, thin strands.

If the beef is cooked enough, this won't take any time at all

Return all the beef and juices to the pot. Mince the leaves of the remaining sage sprig and rosemary sprig and add them to the pot with the brisket. Keep the brisket warm until serving. Meanwhile, prepare the bread slices.

Here are a seeded rye and a seeded wheat -- nice hearty flavors for the brisket. Also good would be an olive bread or even pumpernickel

Toast the bread slices and lightly rub one side with the cut end of the remaining garlic clove.

One garlic clove goes a long way -- it's just a hint of flavor on each slice

Spread a thin layer of grainy mustard on the garlic side of the bread.

There are a lot of mustard varieties out there to choose from if you prefer

For each serving, spoon brisket and soup into a shallow bowl, place a toast slice on top, mustard-side down. Spoon horseradish cream on top and sprinkle with chives. Serve the extra toast on the side.

Now get back to that football game.

Kelly McCune © 2009

©2010 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.