Boeuf Catalan Recipes

CATALAN BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 160°C Heat a large flameproof casserole dish over high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Add 60ml (1/4 cup) of the oil to the casserole dish. Add one-quarter of the beef and cook, turning, for 5 minutes or until brown. Transfer to the bowl with the pancetta. Repeat, in 3 more batches, with the remaining beef, reheating the dish between batches.
• Add the vinegar to the dish and cook, stirring to dislodge any bits that have cooked on to the base, for 1-2 minutes. Pour over the beef mixture.
• Heat the remaining oil in the dish over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until soft. Add the beef mixture, stock, wine, tomato paste, cinnamon, thyme, orange peel and chocolate. Cover with foil and a tight-fitting lid. Bring to the boil. Bake in oven for 2 hours or until the beef is tender. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool. Place in the fridge for 6 hours to chill.
• Preheat oven to 160°C Use a spoon to remove any fat from the surface of the stew. Cook the stew, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes or until heated through. Bake in oven for 45-50 minutes or until the meat is tender and the sauce thickens. Sprinkle the stew with parsley to serve.

SHORTCUT BEEF CATALAN

Steps:

• Heat oil in medium-size Dutch oven over moderate heat 1 minute. Add bacon and cook, stirring often, until only browned bits remain, about 5 minutes. Lift brown bits to paper toweling to drain. Raise burner heat to high.
• Pat ground chuck into large flat patty and brown in drippings, allowing about 3 minutes per side; life to plate and reserve.
• Reduce heat to moderate; add onions, garlic, carrots, bay leaves, thyme, orange zest, cinnamon, and cloves to Dutch oven and cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes until onions are golden.
• Add consomme and wine, bring to gentle boil, set lid on askew, and cook 15 minutes. Lay meat patty on top of stew, set lid on askew, and cook 15 minutes more.
• Break meat into 1 1/2-inch clumps, mix in salsa and tomato paste, and cook uncovered 5 minutes. Add cannellini, parsley, and reserved bacon and bring just to serving temperature. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Remove bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and cinnamon stick, ladle into heated soup plates, and serve.

CATALAN TOASTS

Steps:

• Preheat the grill to medium.
• Cut the tomato in half and grate it on the coarse side of a box grater. Reserve the tomato pulp.
• Grill the bread slices on both sides until they are slightly charred. When the bread comes off the grill rub each slice with a garlic clove and drizzle generously with olive oil. Top each toast with tomato pulp and a tiny sprinkle of salt. Cover tomato with a slice of ham and serve.
• Cinchy!

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir until tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Cook and stir beef in the same skillet until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Sprinkle flour, marjoram, thyme, and pepper over beef. Pour red wine and beef broth into the skillet; stir well. Reduce heat to low and simmer until beef is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Stir onions into the skillet. Add mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms are tender and sauce is thick and dark brown, about 30 minutes.

CREMA CATALANA

Steps:

• Combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Mix in cornstarch.
• Peel lemon in one piece. Combine milk, lemon peel, cinnamon stick, and vanilla seeds in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover, and allow the milk to get infused with the flavorings for 30 minutes and cool. Whisk egg yolk-sugar mixture into the lukewarm milk.
• Return to heat and simmer, stirring constantly, over low heat until cream thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove lemon peel and cinnamon stick. Spoon cream into 8 ovenproof ramikens and allow to cool completely, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar onto each ramiken and set under the broiler until sugar caramelizes, 1 to 2 minutes. Pay close attention so sugar does not burn.

BOEUF CATALAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325° Remove rind and cut bacon into lardons (1 1/2-inch strips, 3/8 of an inch thick.) Simmer in 1 quart of water for 10 minutes. Drain, dry, and brown lightly in oil in the skillet. Remove with a slotted spoon to a Dutch Oven. Dry the meat on paper towels. Lightly salt and pepper the meat. Brown the meat on all sides in the rendered bacon fat. Once browned, place it in the Dutch Oven. Lower heat to medium-low, and brown the onions. Place in Dutch Oven. Add additional oil to the skillet if too dry and cook the rice over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes until it turns milky in color. Transfer to a bowl and set aside until later. Add the wine and stir over medium heat to dissolve any fond in the pan. Add stock or bouillon almost to the height of the meat in the Dutch Oven. Stir in the pepper, garlic, and herbs. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, cover tightly, and set in lower position of preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove casserole from oven. Stir in the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, cover, and return to the oven for an additional hour of simmering. When the meat is almost fork-tender, remove pot from oven. Raise oven heat to 375°. Skim off any excess fat. Stir in the rice. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, cover, and set back in the oven for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked. Do not stir the rice. At the end of the time it should be tender and have absorbed almost all the liquid. Just before serving, fold the cheese into the beef and rice. Adjust seasonings as needed.