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    Christmas (Thanksgiving) Estouffade


    Source of Recipe


    Niman Ranch

    Recipe Introduction


    This recipe is from Molly Stevens' All About Braising. For those who enjoy slow-cooked meats (there are also vegetable, seafood and poultry recipes in the book), this new book is a must-add to your cookbook shelves. Molly tells us that the recipe comes from Provence where the beef was traditionally set to simmer on Christmas Eve. Following Midnight Mass, everyone sat down to a sumptuous dinner. We think it works great for Thanksgiving, too.

    Molly tells us the term estouffade is borrowed from the Italian stufato, the word for stew. The pig's foot is the surprise ingredient, but Molly tells us it lends incomparable body and a velvety texture to the sauce.

    When she serves this dish, Molly tosses fresh pasta with the braising liquid, the braised bacon and the shredded meat from the pig's foot.

    Don't be scared off by the planning required by this dish. Marinate the meat for 24 hours before you begin to braise. After braising, the estouffade needs to cool before serving. So your best bet is to prepare this in advance and then just put together for your big dinner.

    Don't be scared off by the length of this recipe, either. Molly just gives very precise directions.

    This recipe serves 6 to 8.

    List of Ingredients






    1 Niman Ranch pig's foot, split lengthwise
    1 Niman Ranch boneless chuck roast, 4 to 5 pounds
    2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
    1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
    1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
    3 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
    3 strips orange zest, removed with a vegetable peeler (about 3 inches by 3/4 inch)
    2 bay leaves
    4 leafy flat-leaf parsley sprigs
    4 4-inch leafy fresh thyme sprigs
    2 teaspoons coarse salt
    1 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked
    1 750-ml bottle robust dry red wine, such as Côtes de Provence, Cahors, Bandol or Rhone
    1/2 cup Cognac
    1/2 pound Niman Ranch slab bacon
    1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    Freshly ground black pepper
    Fresh or dried pasta such as Maltagliati, pappardelle or tagliatelle

    Recipe



    Blanche the pig's foot 24 to 36 hours in advance. Place the pig's foot in a medium (2 quart) sauce pan and pour in enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a strong simmer over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 to 12 minutes; drain. Rinse the pig's foot with cool water and place in a large, nonreactive container.

    Using kitchen string, tie the meat and marinate. Tie the beef into a neat, snug shape. Place the beef in the container with the pig's foot. Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, orange zest, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, salt and peppercorns. Pour over the wine and Cognac. Cover and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours, turning the meat and the pig's foot every 6 to 8 hours to distribute the marinade evenly.

    Heat the oven to 300 degrees.


    Brown the bacon. Cut the bacon lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Then cut each strip into 2-inch lengths. The recipe calls for heating the oil in a large Dutch oven or other braising pot. Niman Ranch bacon rarely needs extra oil. You can probably safely just begin cooking the bacon in the Dutch oven. Turn the bacon once with tongs until the bacon is browned on both sides, but not crisp, about 15 minutes total. Remove the bacon with tongs, and set aside on a small bowl or plate. Remove the pot from the heat.

    Lift the meat from the marinade and set it on a plate to drain, then thoroughly dry the beef with paper towels, rolling it over as you work and using more paper towels as needed. Return the pot with the bacon drippings to medium heat. Lower the beef into the pot and brown, turning with tongs, until all sides have a ruddy brown crust, about 20 minutes total. Using tongs and a meat fork, lift the beef from the pot and set it back on the plate. Pour off as much excess fat as you can from the braising pot, without losing any of those precious meat drippings.

    Set a strainer over the braising pot and strain the marinade into the pot. Reserve the marinade vegetables and seasonings. Bring the marinade to a vigorous simmer over medium heat and simmer until reduced by two thirds, about 15 minutes. There should be about 1 to 1-1/2 inches of slightly thickened liquid in the pot.

    Return the beef to the pot, along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Tuck the two pig's foot halves into the pot on either side of the beef. Scatter the strained marinade vegetables and seasonings over the beef. Cover the pot with parchment paper, pressing down so that it nearly touches the meat and the edges extend about an inch over the sides. Set a secure lid in place, and slide onto a rack in the lower third of the oven. Check after the first 15 minutes or so, and if the liquid seems to be simmering too intensely, lower the oven heat by 10 to 15 degrees. Then continue to braise gently, turning the beef and the pig's foot with tongs after about 1-1/4 hours. Continue braising until the beef is fork-tender and the meat on the pig's foot is pulling away from the bone, about 3 hours total. Remove the pot from the oven and set aside until cool enough that you can lift out the pig's foot, about an hour.


    The estouffade can be made ahead up to this point and kept refrigerated, well covered, for 2 to 3 days.

    Heat the oven to 275 degrees.

    Set a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Lift the beef from the pot using the strings and supporting it with a spatula, and transfer to a cutting board with a moat to catch the juices. Remove the string and slice the beef into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange the slices in a baking dish and pour over any juices that collected on the cutting board. Set aside.

    Transfer the pig's foot to the cutting board. Using your fingers, pull the meat and skin from the bones. Discard the bones and any unappealing bits. With a large chef's knife, coarsely chop the skin and meat, and put in a small baking dish. With tongs or a slotted spoon, lift the bacon from the braising pot and set it aside with the chopped pork.

    Strain the braising liquid into a saucepan, pushing lightly on the vegetables to extract the maximum liquid without forcing them through the sieve; discard the vegetables. (If you've chilled the estouffade, scrape off the fat and then warm the braising liquid over medium heat until it's thin enough to strain.) Skim the surface fat from the liquid. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the braising liquid over the sliced beef and the chopped pig's foot and bacon to keep them moist. Cover both with foil and slide into the oven to heat through.

    Set the remaining braising liquid over medium-high heat and simmer to concentrate the flavor and reduce in volume by about half, about 12 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. It rarely needs any seasoning. Set aside in a warm place.

    When the meats are heated through and the water for the pasta has come to a boil, add a handful (about 2 tablespoons) of salt to the pot and drop in the pasta. Boil until just al dente, as little as 1 minute for fresh pasta and 10 minutes for dried. Drain, shaking to get rid of any excess water, and transfer the pasta to a large shallow serving platter. Pour over the reduced braising liquid, scatter the chopped pork and bacon over the top, and toss lightly. Arrange the slices of beef over the top and serve.

 

 

 


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