Beef Stroganoff in the Slow-Cooker

It definitely feels like fall this week. But unfortunately, the gray and wet kind of fall so out came my crock-pot (not that it was ever really put away). The slow-cooker is always a great option for cooking beef. It will make any cut tender and flavorful.

This version of Beef Stroganoff is a little bit healthier than most with only a third of a cup of sour cream and absolutely no butter or oil. I even use reduced-fat sour cream and no one can tell the difference. Yet it's creamy, tasty and perfectly comforting on a rainy, gloomy day.

Serves 4

• 1 to 1 ¼ lb beef round or sirloin steak, trimmed and sliced into ¼” strips = environ 500 g de steak, coupé en lamelles
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced = 1 petit oignon, épluché et coupé en morceaux
• 2 gloves garlic, minced = 2 gousses d'ail, émincées
• ¾ to 1 cup (low sodium) beef broth = 180 à 230 ml de bouillon de boeuf
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce = 1 cuillère à soupe de sauce Worcestershire
• 1 tablespoon ketchup = 1 cuillère à soupe de ketchup
• 1 tablespoon red wine = 1 cuillère à soupe de vin rouge
• ½ teaspoon paprika = ½ cuillère à café de paprika
• Salt & pepper = sel & poivre
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch = 3 cuillères à soupe de maïzena
• ¼ cup water = 60 ml d'eau
• 8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and halved = 225 g de champignons, nettoyés et coupés en deux
• ⅓ cup (reduced-fat) sour cream = 40 g de crême fraiche
• A few parsley leaves, chopped or some fresh dill = quelques feuilles de persil, ciselées ou de l'aneth fraiche
• Cooked egg noodles = des pâtes (type pappardelles) cuites

Combine steak, onion, garlic, broth, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, wine, paprika, salt and pepper, in the slow-cooker. Stir, cover and cook on low for about 6 hours.

In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Add to slow cooker, along with the mushrooms. Cover and cook on high for 20 minutes. Turn slow-cooker off and stir in the sour cream.

Serve over noodles, sprinkle with chopped parsley or dill. Enjoy!

Slow-cooked Beef Brisket with Carrots and Potatoes

I can't believe I haven't posted a slow-cooker recipe yet! I use my slow-cooker quite a bit in the winter to make comforting stews and soups, but I never completely put it away. Any time of year, it is a valuable friend on a day when I know I'll be out all afternoon. I prep everything in the morning, set it up on low and come home to a yummy homemade meal. I guess you can achieve the same results with a Dutch oven on the stove but the slow cooker gives you the convenience (and peace of mind!) of being able to step out for a few hours without worrying about burning your house down! A slow-cooker is also great for entertaining, keeping food warm during potlucks and parties.

Brisket can be tough and is therefore a rather inexpensive cut. After it's been cooked slowly for hours though, it becomes tender and succulent. Browning it first is the extra step that makes all the difference: it locks in flavor!

However tempting it might be: do not peek! Removing the lid (especially in the first hours) will release steam, lowering the temperature and messing up the cooking process.

Makes 6 servings 

• 2.5 to 3 lb. organic beef brisket, trimmed = 1.250 kg de gros bout (ou pointe) de poitrine de boeuf
• Olive oil = huile d'olive
• Salt and pepper = sel et poivre
• 1 large onion, diced = 1 gros oignon, coupé en morceaux
• 4 garlic cloves, minced = 4 gousses d'ail, émincées
• 1 14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes = 1 boite (400 g) de tomates concassées
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste = 2 cuillères à soupe de concentré de tomates
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar = 1 cuillère à soupe de cassonade
• ½ cup red wine = 120 ml de vin rouge
• 6 carrots, peeled and cut into thick slices = 6 carottes, épluchées et coupées en tranches épaisses
• 12 small red potatoes, cleaned and halved = 12 petites pommes de terre à peau rouge (Roseval ou Chéries par exemple), lavées et coupées en deux
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme = 1 cuillère à café de thym séché
• 2 bay leaves = 2 feuilles de laurier séchées
• ½ to 1 tablespoon cornstarch = ½ à 1 cuillère à soupe de maïzena

Place the diced onion in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Coat or spray olive oil in a heavy pan. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper and brown both sides in pan. Remove browned meat from pan and place on top of the onions. Add the carrots and potatoes to the slow cooker.

Fry garlic in the same pan you browned the meat in for 30 seconds and add red wine. Cook for a few minutes. Combine wine mixture with tomatoes (and their juice), tomato paste, brown sugar and herbs together in a medium bowl then add to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours – it will depend on your slow cooker, newer models tend to cook faster than older ones, even on low.

Remove the meat and veggies from the slow cooker, put on a serving platter and cover tightly with foil. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile mix cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water until smooth. Pour slow-cooker sauce into a saucepan, whisk in the cornstarch/water paste and simmer over medium heat until sauce has thickened (about 2 minutes). Pour over the beef and veggies and serve. Enjoy! 

Beef & Veggie Stir-Fry

My son and I just got back from my hometown of Lyon, a city known as the gastronomy capital of France. Need I say more? Well. Yes. We fully enjoyed all the amazing bread, cheese, charcuterie and pastries there! I'm not sure I want to step on the scale right now... Anyway, after this incredible French feast, I was craving Asian flavors this week. But let's face it, I was jet-lagged and not highly motivated to spend hours in my kitchen. I love how stir-fries come together quickly and are loaded with healthy veggies. You can use whichever you have on hand but I always go for a mix of at least 3 colors: green (green beans, broccoli, snow peas, zucchini), yellow (baby corn, bell pepper, squash), red or orange (bell peppers, carrots), purple (eggplant, “red” cabbage). We seldom eat red meat (and when we do, it is organic, grass-fed beef only) and I have made this stir-fry with shrimp and chicken but it is just not the same. While flank steak is a great (and cheap) option for stir-frying, I prefer the more tender New York strip cut. Serve over jasmine or brown rice, or even rice noodles. Yum!

Makes 4 servings

Marinade

• ¼ reduced-sodium soy sauce = 60 ml de sauce soja
• 4 teaspoons Mirin (or Japanese rice vinegar) = 4 cuillères à café de Mirin
• 2 tablespoons water = 2 cuillères à soupe d'eau
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil = 2 cuillères à café d'huile de sésame
• 1 teaspoon canola oil = 1 cuillère à café d'huile de colza
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar = 1 cuillère à café de sucre roux
• ½ teaspoon black pepper = ½ cuillère à café de poivre

Stir-Fry

• 1 lb organic New York strip steak, cut into thin slices = 450 g de boeuf, filet ou faux-filet, coupé en fines tranches
• 3 cloves garlic, minced = 3 gousses d'ail, émincées
• 1 tablespoon finely minced or grated fresh ginger = 1 cuillère à soupe de gingembre frais émincé
• 1 small onion, chopped = 1 petit oignon, coupé en morceaux
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced = 1 poivron jaune, coupé en lamelles
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced = 1 poivron rouge, coupé en lamelles
• 1 orange bell pepper, sliced = 1 poivron orange, coupé en lamelles
• 8 oz. green beans, trimmed and briefly boiled= 225 g de haricots verts,
  

   équeutés et brièvement cuits à l'eau
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch = 2 cuillères à café de maïzena

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag. Add steak slices, stir to coat and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or up to 2 hours.

Coat a large skillet with a little canola oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add steak, reserving the marinade in a separate bowl. Stir-fry meat for about 3 minutes. Transfer to a clean plate.

Return skillet to heat, add onion and bell peppers. Sauté for 4 minutes. Add green beans and continue stir-frying for another 2 minutes or so.

Stir cornstarch into reserved marinate. Add to the skillet and stir to coat the vegetables. Return steak to skillet and stir to combine. Serve immediately. Enjoy!