A winter storm approaching Houston. I’ve survived my share of Houston related inclement weather, I only have climate change to thank for this additional life skill. Those were: a potentially catastrophic flood in 2019 (nearly drowned my car) and a snowfall in 2021 that froze the pipes, paralyzed the city and gave me really great memories with lifelong friends.
A few lessons I’ve learned along the way? Never underestimate the unpredictability of weather, and always prepare for the worst. That way, everything else feels like a best-case scenario. Best case scenario I work from home on Tuesday while my kid plays in the background. Worst case? We lose electricity for days and have to enable a generator in frigid weather, with a house optimized for cooling (we live in Texas!!!)
Another thing I’ve learned along the way, is the importance of hearty hot nourishing food. I remember in 2021, lockdown rules were in place but everything is a blur now and we woke up to snow. We didn’t prepare, lost electricity in our apartment complex, and had to go gather water in a bucket from the pool to flush out toilet. We met up with our friends who were our neighbors too and I made a pot of chilli in the community grill and ate our of red solo cups.
Naturally, with my priorities focus on my family life, I made a big pot of beef strew with tons of hidden veggies. Radishes instead of potatoes, boil the potatoes on the side and add them in later. Carrots, leeks, celery, and onions. Dried apricots and dried plums for sweetness. A bundle of warm herbs and spiced. Red wine.
Recipe
- 2-4 pounds of cubed beef, I used chuck
- salt and pepper, abundant
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 cup of sweet yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 cup of chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup thickly sliced daikon
- 1 pound of potatoes
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 cups red wine
- 6-8 dried plums (prunes)
- 6-8 dried apricots
- 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cinnamon stick
- 1clove
- 3 star anise
- orange peel: 2-3 strips
- 4 cups of chicken stock or bone broth
Method:
Before you even start preparing anything else: start by salting the meat with kosher salt and let tenderize in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Preheat your oven at 350F/ 176C. Then in a cast iron pot, add the avocado oil and once it’s sizzling, brown the meat. You’ll know it’s time to flip the meat when the middle/top of the meat is doming and had little red left.
Remove the beef and place it on a plate. Add your veggies: onions, leeks, carrots, and ginger.
Ad some salt and sweat the veggies for 10-15 minutes. Followed by the star anise and clove.
Deglase with the wine and let everything simmer for 3-5 minutes. Once simmering, add the meat back into the mix. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Top with radishes, add the dried plums prunes and dried apricots and the bundle of spices (cinnamon, bay leaf, parsley, and orange peel).
Let simmer and cover. Pop it in the oven for an uninterrupted hour. Once an hour has elapsed, take it out, mix, check for salt and add salt and pepper to taste. Pop it back into the oven for another hour while checking at the 30 minute mark. You’ll know it’s done when the sauce is thick and the meat if falling apart. Serve with boiled potatoes or rice, and top with parsley.
