Paper Whites

Gran Fran loves paper whites, also known as narcissus. They're bulbs that bloom into beautiful white flowers.

When I was in college, I worked in every retail store imaginable, one of which was located in SoHo in Manhattan. We sold all sorts of beautiful housewares, furniture and bath items. Around the corner there was another shop that was very rustic, but kind of modern. I would walk over on my lunch break and dreamily go through every inch of the store.

They sold  paper white bulbs along with some lovely smooth black rocks packaged in a brown paper bag with raffia tied around it. Every time I see these, it reminds me of Gran Fran. I found the above specimens at The Gardner in San Francisco this past weekend.

I think I'll bring her some this Thanksgiving.

After I posted this, my friend Jeff gave me the following advice (he's a garden guru, so trust him):

"OMG it is so easy to grow them. glass bowl, fill with rocks. nestle bulbs in rocks. add more rocks so rocks come up to shoulders of bulbs. bulbs shouldn't be touching. add water so water level is about half way up bulbs. every day check water to keep level between base of bulb and half way up bulb. don't add so much water that the whole bulb is submerged, they'll rot. put in room that gets lot of INDIRECT light. watch them grow!"

Julia, Gran Fran and Me

This is a re-post of a piece I wrote two years ago, almost exactly. Apparently, as soon as it gets cool here in SF, I need to make Beef Bourguignon. Enjoy!

As you have probably already surmised, if you’ve read several of these posts, Gran Fran is an awesome cook who uses mostly intuition, learned over decades of cooking, alongside her unquenchable thirst for cookbooks.

 One of my earliest mother-daughter memories is of a fundraiser that we did when I was about 5 years old. Gran Fran volunteered for a membership drive for our local PBS television station. We were stationed in a small fold up booth in front of the Bloomingdale’s in Fresh Meadows, Queens (which I believe is now a K-Mart).

In exchange for membership, new members would get a cookbook. Not just any cookbook, but THE cookbook. Which one, you may ask? It’s the Julia Child tome of greatness, 

Mastering The Art of French Cooking

.

I recall Gran Fran waxing poetic about the recipes and the program. Remember, this was 1975, or so (oops, there it is again, a veiled reference to my actual age), not a time when a lot of people were spending hours make Bernaise sauce at home, but it was beginning to happen. Gran Fran sold some memberships that day, but mostly, she got to represent one of her culinary heroes to the public.

Recently, I asked her which of Julia’s recipes was her favorite. She said “Well, of course it’s Beef Bourguignon.” I know, it’s a typical recipe to choose, but it is one of the best, and we grew up eating it a lot. Gran Fran made it and the house smelled like a French bistro. The warmth of the kitchen, the smells of the red wine mingling with the bacon, thyme and onions is an unmatchable sensory memory for me.

Beef Bourguinon ala Gran Fran with a nod to Julia Child serves 8

One gigantic non-reactive pot is needed!!

Ingredients:

  • 3 to 3.5 Lbs Bottom Round, cubed (any good beef stewing meat works here)
  •  1/4 Lb Double Smoked Bacon
  • 2 Tbsps Olive Oil
  • 2 Carrots, cut into chunks
  • 1 Onion; diced
  • 2 Cloves Garlic, peeled and diced
  • 2 Tsps Flour
  • 3 Cups Dry Red Wine
  • 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Thyme
  • Bay Leaf

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 325°.
  • Boil diced bacon in 3 cups water for 10 minutes. Refresh bacon under cold water. Dry well.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet. Add bqcon. When bacon browns, remove from pan and set aside.
  • Dry beef well, then add it to the hot skillet.
  • Brown well on all sides.
  • In a heavy, nonreactive stew pan, add some oil from the skillet.
  • Saute onions and carrots in stew pan until golden brown. Then, sprinkle the veggies with the flour (which ultimqtely helps thicken the stew).
  • Brown until golden over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Add browned meat to veggies.
  • Add red wine to the skillet you used to cook the meat. Stir up all browned particles and bring to a boil. Add this to meat in stew pot.
  • If needed, add water to stew pot so all so meat is covered.
  • In a small non-reactive sauce pan, place tomato paste, salt, pepper, garlic and thyme, with a little bit of olive oil. Stir over medium heat until paste has thinned a bit and all herbs/spices have been incorporated. Add to stew pot.
  • Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove.
  • COver closely (another gran franism) and plce on lower rack in the 325° oven.
  • Leave undisturbed for 1.5 hours.
  • Then, stir,put cover back on and simmer another 1.5 hours.

This stew tastes even better when reheated, so make a day or two in advance

Shimeji Mushrooms

I came across these mushrooms at Far West Fungi at the San Francisco Ferry Building yesterday. I come to this stall often to get Porcini mushrooms and stock, which I used in my Risotto recipe. The Shimeji mushrooms are beautiful and delicate. Since I usually buy dried mushrooms, I was intrigued by the soft and round quality of them.

Having never used Shimeji mushrooms before, I took a look at Wikipedia and found the following information:

Shimeji should always be cooked: it is not a good mushroom to serve raw due to a somewhat bitter taste, but the bitterness disappears completely upon cooking. The cooked mushroom has a pleasant, firm, slightly crunchy texture and a slightly nutty flavor. Cooking also makes this mushroom easier to digest. In stir-fried foods, as well as with wild game or seafood it is a good mushroom. Also it can be used in soups, stews and in sauces. When cooked alone, Shimeji mushrooms can be sautéed as a whole, including the stem or stalk (only the very end cut off), using a higher temperature or they can be slow roasted on a low temperature with a small amount of butter or cooking oil. Shimeji is used in soups, nabe and takikomi gohan.

I'm very much looking forward to a warm broth-based noodle dish incorporating these mushrooms, which, of course, I will share with you all!