Beef Bourguignon with homemade egg noodles and Fry Bread

I washed so many dishes today my polish is nearly gone!  The wind blew and the snow flew....and so I cooked up a storm in my kitchen.  I made Mousse aux eclats de chocolat (chocolate mousse) for my daughters 15 birthday on Tuesday.  I made chocolate cupcakes with a grapefruit curd in the center.   For dinner I made the beef bourguignon.  I never expected it to be so good!  I used the red wine i was drinking and made homemade egg noodles to go with it.  It really was spectacular.  The depth of flavor was impressive for 90 minutes of cooking.  Here's the recipe.

Beef Bourguignon

1 pound ground beef
4 tbsp butter
1/2 onion diced
2 carrots sliced into thin coins
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup wine
1 cup beef broth
1 bay leaf
3 tbsp parsley
1 tsp thyme

Cook the hamburger in a skillet.  When nearly done add the butter, onion, carrot, and garlic.  Cook until the onion begins to brown.  Add in the wine and broth and the bay, parsley, and thyme.  Stir.  Cover and place in oven at 350 degrees for one hour.
Meanwhile make the egg noodles.  Here is the recipe.

Egg Noodles

2 eggs
flour to make a non sticky dough
1 tsp salt

Beat the eggs and add the flour and salt.  You want to be able to work with the dough without it sticking to your hands.  Roll dough out thinly using a rolling pin.  Cut into strips about 1/4" wide.  Bring 6 cups of beef broth to boil.  Cook the noodles in batches in the broth.  The noodles will float to the top after a couple of minutes.  They are done at this time.  Scoop them out and place on plate while you cook up the rest.

After the beef has been cooking for one hour pull it out of the oven and add the freshly cooked noodles.  Stir well.  Place back in the oven uncovered for about 30 minutes more.

I also made fry bread to go with this dish.  I dont make fried food very often.  But once in awhile I think theres nothing wrong with enjoying something fried.  The recipe is easy and does not contain yeast.  Here's the recipe.

Fry Bread

2 cups flour
1/4 cup powdered milk
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water

Combine all in a small bowl using a fork.  Dough should be very sticky.  Don't over stir!  Leave to sit 10 minutes while you heat the oil.
Using the fork pull off a chunk of the dough a little less than the size of an egg.  Toss it into a small bowl of flour.  Using your hand pat and pull until the dough is about the size of your hand.  Gently place in the hot oil and cook until golden.  Turn once to brown other side.  Place on plate and continue to cook the bread.  You should get about 10 to 12 pieces of fry bread.

This bread also goes well with beef stew, with honey on it, or alone!   Sooo good.
Bon appetite

Green Chili Enchiladas with Refried Black Beans

Bonne Annee!   Happy New Year to you all!!!  This past two weeks I have enjoyed having my family all together for the holidays.  My oldest daughter is home from college all the way from California.  So I have been cooking up a storm!   Yesterday I made green chili enchiladas with home made refried black beans.  I did use canned black beans.  I also used my 'new' old potato masher I picked up at an antique store in Livingston, Montana.  They were delicious.  So I will include my recipe for them as well.  

Enchiladas

10 corn tortillas

1 pound shredded pepper jack cheese

whole or diced chilies

tomatillo sauce or green enchilada sauce

Heat 1/4 cup canola oil in skillet.  When sizzling hot fry one corn tortilla at a time for about 30-45 seconds per side.  Pile up cooked tortillas on a plate.   Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Using a 9x13 casserole begin by placing shredded cheese on tortilla, followed by several spoonfuls of sauce, followed by a chili.  Roll up and place in casserole.  When all tortillas are rolled up and in casserole spoon more sauce over each tortilla.  Sprinkle pepper jack over that.  Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.  Meanwhile, shred some napa cabbage and place in a bowl.  Sprinkle a few tablespoons of vinegar (any kind) over the cabbage and toss.  Run a rough chop through some cilantro.  Thin out some sour cream with milk and whisk to make creamy.  Serve enchilada on bed of cabbage topped with cilantro and sour cream.

Refried Black Beans

One can of black beans rinsed and drained.  Place beans in pot with water just to cover.   Heat until beans are warm.  Mash beans and add salt to taste.  Meanwhile in a skillet heat 2 tablespoons canola oil,  1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin.  When aromatic add 1/2 an onion diced.  Cook until translucent.  Add two cloves of garlic and cook another minute longer.  Add this to the beans that you mashed earlier.  You may need to add some water to the beans to get them to the texture you prefer.  Right before serving add chopped spring onion and chopped cilantro.

Also, I attempted a new recipe from The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo.  It is a grapefruit curd in a biscuit base with an Italian meringue topping.  The each element of the dessert is easy.   Putting it all together takes some time.   It was tasty with the grapefruit curd being the easiest part of the dessert.  I used ramekins for my desserts as I had no cooking rings.  This worked just fine and looked lovely for presentation.  (Refer to Rachel Khoos' cookbook for this recipe)  Bon appetit!