Sliding, sledding, shinny, skating, snowshoeing, snowmen, down hill skiing, cross-country skiing, and shoveling out the driveway. Winter has arrived with a vengeance and with it our appetite for rich, hearty bowls full of familiar flavour. It’s braising season because nothing warms you up faster after time outside than a bowl of simple beef stew. But that doesn’t mean we have to stick to the classics. Beef stew comes in many forms, two of my favourites are featured here.
When your braising cravings kick in one of the first things to do is find your biggest, heaviest pot. I’m proud to announce that in that search you have one more option. Just in time for the Christmas rush I released my very own line of signature kitchenware exclusively at every Sears in Canada. This fascinating project is truly a dream come true!
Whether it’s the heavy duty pots & pans, the knife set, bamboo cutting board or cast iron enamelware, my design goal was to cut out the clutter and release just the basics. The core essentials that you’ll turn to over and over again. You really don’t need a huge collection of different sizes and shapes gathering dust in the back of the drawer. As an advocate of kitchen simplicity I think we hit the mark. Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks so, sales have been awesome. So if you’re sporting a new set, thanks! If not; no worries. You don’t need my pots to cook beef stew. A hearty winter appetite, some simple ingredients and maybe even a spirit of adventure will do just fine!
You don’t really need a recipe to make a batch of old fashioned beef stew. A pot full of simple ingredients, some guidelines and some insight are more than enough!
Once you’ve mastered beef stew you’re ready to free style some variations on the theme. This version shows off the bright balanced flavours of Asia. It’s just as easy to make as any other beef stew but the results are much fancier!
Click here for recipeGabe just celebrated his 6th birthday and what a time we had. I had actually been planning the party for years!
Three years ago we moved into our new house on Prince Edward Island. During the design phase I noticed that we had the sort of elevation change on our sloping property that would make for an awesome ‘bobsled’ run. Well the lack of snow over the last few years kept that plan on the back burner – until this winter. Lets just say there’s been no lack of construction materials this year!
A farmer friend of ours gave us 40 hay bales, just enough to build a giant launch ramp and to bank a serious turn at the bottom. A few weeks of snow and a few hours of shoveling and Mt. Gabe was finished. Just in time to run to our local baker for the birthday cake.
Hey, even chefs get busy and need a little outsourcing help now and then. I’ve made five birthday cakes to date but after Gabe spotted the various superhero decorations at the bakery it was time for a break. But when I arrived to pick up Spiderman some kind of scheduling mix up had him still sitting in the box next to an undecorated cake. Now what?
Well it didn’t take much convincing to get the shop to let me jump in and spread some icing! I had a picture to work from and a ghastly palate of brightly coloured bags of so-called icing to squeeze. Before long I had Spidey climbing up a pretty convincing brick wall – and a standing job offer for my free time. With my new career prospects, and cake, in hand I headed back to the party.
The hill was a hit and so was the cake. My buddy and I must have sent the kids down the run at least 100 times. I think the Olympics should consider moving their training facility to PEI. I also think that next year I’ll make the cake and the icing. Number six for birthday seven!
Cheers,
Chef Michael Smith