Boeuf Bourguignon (Burgundy Beef Stew)

 When the temperatures start dropping and the leaves start turning yellow and orange, don’t you just want some beef stew? I do. I liked my old way of making stew in which I first browned the stew meat and then threw in the vegetables and cooked the heck out of it. The way the French do it is, as you might expect, better. The secret is to cook everything seperately and then add it all together to cook in a wine and beef broth that fills the kitchen with incredible smells. It takes a bit longer but it sure is worth it.

Burgundy Beef Stew

3 1/2 pounds lean stewing beef

6 ounces lean salt pork or thick cut bacon

3 Tbsp butter

3/4 pound pearl onions

3/4 pound small button mushrooms

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 Tbsp flour

3 cups red wine, burgundy is best

1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste

bouquet garni

2 cups beef broth

3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Cut the beef into 2 inch pieces and dice the salt pork into thin strips.

In a large heavy pan, cook the pork over medium heat until golden brown, then remove and drain. Increase the heat to medium high and add enough meat to the pan to fit easily in one layer-don’t crowd or it won’t brown. Cook, turning to color all sides until well browned. Transfer to plates and continue to brown the meat in batches.

 In a heavy frying pan, melt 1/3 of the butter, add the pearl onions and cook, stirring frequently, until even golden. Set aside.

In the same pan, melt half of the 1/3 of the butter and add the mushrooms and saute until golden and set aside with the pearl onions.

 When all of the beef has been browned, pour off any fat and add the remaining butter. When the butter has melted, add the chopped onion, carrot and garlic and cook over medium heat until softened, stirring frequently. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir and cook for 2 minutes, then add the wine, tomato paste and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, scarping the base of the pan.

 Return the beef and bacon to the pan and pour on the broth to cover the meat-you may not need all of it. Cover the pan and simmer gently over low heat, stirring occaionally, for about 3 hours until the meat is very tender. Add the mushrooms and pearl onions and cook, covered, for 30 more minutes. Discard the bouquet garni and stir in the parsley and serve with boiled potatoes. I like to sprinkle the parsley over the potatoes too because it looks so pretty.

 You will get raves about this dish. It is really special. Serve with some crusty bread to scrape up all of the tasty gravy.

 Yes, here we are, back in Provence. My time in the States all seems like a dream now. The first week back I had very vivid dreams of my grandchildren, especially Micah, probably because I spent the most time with him, even in the wee hours of the morning when he wanted a bottle. Once I put him in bed with me and he wiggled all over the place, talked in his sleep, put his head up to see who was there with him and he even managed to pee on the bed that I had just changed so I got to wash the comforter and sheets again.

 We decided to come and check on the house here, put away all of the watering hoses before the cold weather comes and I was hoping to get some fall planting done. I have discovered that you don’t plant iris bulbs in the autumn but in August and I couldn’t find any for sale anywhere. Apparantly, iris is a specialized thing in the nursery world here and isn’t sold by any random nursery. Maybe next year. I also wanted to plant some more lavender but we were told it was too early for that. We may be back in January for a week or so and maybe I can get it done then. I managed to buy one rose bush. I hope it will survive while we are gone as we can’t leave on a watering system. Just one of the problems of not living in a home year round.

 On another note, I find that France has totally spoiled me when it comes to food. I found that I no longer like American wine or cheese. And everything tasted either too sweet or too salty to me. I was really surprised to see how much processed food is sold, and eaten, in the States. It’s all that my grandchildren wanted to eat. I find that I eat much more natural food here in France and that I cook most things from scratch. I do use canned vegetables occasionally and I keep a frozen pizza or two in the freezer and I use already prepared pie dough. Maybe all of this has to do with the amount of obesity in the States. It’s catching on here.

A few photos of cheese and one of bread. You just can’t beat the bread in France.

One of the most ornate and over the top bridges in Paris, Pont Alexander III, is fun to photograph. It had been rainy and gray for a few days in Paris but when the sun came out I decided to get out and do some photographing. As the days are getting shorter and shorter, it pays to get out in the sun when you can.

It looks like the front of a Valentine’s card. There are cherubs all over the bridge.

It’s one of my favorite places for a view of the Eiffel Tower.

A line of the ornate lights leading up to Invalides in the distance.

It is a favorite place for photographing brides. I saw two couples there in just ten minutes.

Wasn’t that the name of a movie some years ago? The young, beautiful teen-ager came to babysit and had all sorts of adventures with the children, running from gansters, trying to get the family car fixed, finding a neat new handsome boyfriend. Well, I had my own adventures too while I was in the States. I took care of three of my grandchildren while their parents were out of town. They were Jackson, age 5, Holden, age 3 and Micah, age 19 months. Was I exhausted at the end of the 5 days? I sure was. You find out very quickly that your energy level isn’t the same as it was when your own children were young. I usually went to bed at the same time as the two older grandsons, 9 PM or so.

It is interesting, seeing the routine someone else’s children have. My son doesn’t have a TV which meant I couldn’t watch it-not a bad thing, really-but it also meant that these children really knew how to play and entertain themselves. Seeing a video was a thing of great excitement for them and they saw the first Stars Wars movie just recently for the first time. They spend hours dressing up in costumes, building towers of blocks or leggos, coloring and learning their numbers and letters. The 5 year old is already reading rather well. We spent time in a near-by park and my arms ached by the end of the time there from pushing swings, a source of endless delight for them. And that “baby” was one heavy kid. My back was killing me lugging him upstairs for naps or bedtime but he went to bed so sweetly and easily, it was a pleasure, really.

One weekend, my other son came with his three children so I got to have them all with me at one time. There were four little cars that could be ridden in the house and a circle they could make over and over again and, my, did they make a racket. The adults went outside quite often to get a break from the noise. Ella is my only grand daughter and it was interesting to see how different she was from all of those boys. She wanted to swing, take care of the baby and play house, not to mention play with her dolls.

Once, many years ago, my parents took care of my oldest son and, as a favor, also our dachsund, Brandy. When we came back to pick up both son and dog, my parents told me I couldn’t have my dog back, that they were going to keep her, and, for some reason, my ex and I agreed to this. Believe me, Brandy had a life of unbelievable luxury with them and we eventually got another dog. Anyway, when my son and his wife returned I told them that they couldn’t have Micah back, that I was taking him home with me. What a sweet little boy. He is one of those happy kids who only becomes cranky when he is hungry or sleepy and the rest of the time zooms around the place with a smile on his face. I think we really bonded and he spent alot of time sitting in my lap and interacting with me. Of course, as soon as his mother came on the scene, that was all over. I think he was afraid she was going to leave again.

I am back in Paris again where it is cold and gray and wishing I could spend more time with those three little boys, along with my other three grandchildren who I only got to spend a couple of days with. Being a “Mimi” is really great. My other son asked me if I would ever come to sit with his kids too. Of course. It is a good way to get to know them, then I can totally spoil them and then go home to recover.

Here is Micah saying, “Cheese!”