In home design, “coastal” style holds a special place in communities by the sea. Airy and cozy, it is best illustrated in Nancy Meyer movies set by the ocean. The California coast. The Hamptons. Even the Jersey Shore. Understated, luxurious living rooms are colored in comfortable tones of cream, caramel and blue.
Kitchens lean monochromatically white. Clutter is OUT. Countertops and islands, cleared of appliances, display bowls of white flowers or baskets of seashells. Snowy linens, creamy crockery and pale pottery are IN. Jumping on the trend, I tucked away the knife block, copper pots and the bouquet of hand utensils. A room worthy of a photo shoot.
But I was constantly hauling out and storing away the food processor as well as rummaging through drawers for tongs or wooden spoons. I missed the joy of color, Italian pottery platters and piles of multicolored carrots waiting for a recipe. I missed the efficiency of useful clutter. So, one by one, I forgot to stow away appliances leaving them in plain sight and easily accessible.
I unearthed the copper pot and displayed bright bouquet carrots that figure into two seasonal stews. A stew made with beef uses beer as a cooking medium. In a vegetable stew, called ribollita, canned tomatoes do the work of beer. In both dishes, the carrots soften and mellow the bitterness of beer or canned tomatoes.
STOUT BEEF STEW
Makes 6 servings.
The brown sugar offsets the stout’s bitterness. The carrots add an earthy sweetness. Remove the garlic when finished cooking, so it doesn’t overwhelm and no one bites into it. This potato-free stew has meaning to its omission: it is meant to be ladled into an open, widened top of a baked potato. Russets work best; the best russets come from Idaho.
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Salt, black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1-1/4 pounds beef, cut into cubes
- 2-3 tablespoons neutral oil, e.g. canola, vegetable
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 12-ounce bottle stout or other dark beef
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 to 8 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoons brown sugar
Mix flour, salt and pepper, and thyme together. Add beef cubes, a few at a time, to lightly coat. Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot. Add beef cubes and cook for 5 minutes, or until browned. Add onion and garlic, cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until softened. Pour the beer, scraping the bottom of the pot to pick up any flavorful bits. Add bay leaf and bring the pot to a slow simmer for an hour, (or more) or until the beef is tender. Remove garlic clove and discard. Add carrots and sugar. Simmer for 30 minutes longer, until the carrots are tender. Remove and discard garlic clove. Taste for salt and pepper. Dollop into the crevice of a baked potato.
RIBOLLITA
Makes 6 to 8 servings
- ½ cup pure olive oil (not extra virgin)
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 large can kitchen-ready tomatoes
- 1 large bunch greens, e.g. spinach, chard, kale, stemmed
- Salt, pepper
- 3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 cups canned white beans
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 quarts water, more if needed
- 1 loaf day-old crusty bread, torn into 2-inch chunks
- Handful fresh basil leaves
Heat the oil in a large stock pot. Add onions, celery and carrots. Cook vegetables, stirring over low heat, 10 minutes, stirring, until the onions soften. Add tomatoes, greens, salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add potatoes, beans, pepper flakes and water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook for one hour, until all the vegetables are tender. Stir bread chunks into the stew. Bring to a boil. Stir until the bread is covered. Taste and season again with salt and pepper. Ladle the stew into deep bowls. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and scatter with torn basil leaves.
Linda Bassett
Marblehead resident Linda Bassett has worked as a cook, trained up-and-coming chefs, studied food history and led food tours. Her book, “From Apple Pie to Pad Thai,” is about local cooks and cooking.
