This recipe definitely requires a bit of planning ahead, but it is well worth it.  Although the slow braise requires several hours of cooking time, it is not particularly labor intensive.  I sear and oven-braise the meat the night before I plan to serve this dish.  On the day of the meal, I shred the meat, prepare the mushrooms and sauce, and boil the pasta.  The recipe is flexible and forgiving; measurements are approximate as each roast has a different ratio of bone to meat.

It is a hearty, inexpensive meal that goes great with a simple salad or sautéed greens.

Pasta with Braised Beef and Mushrooms

1 (3- to 4-pound) beef roast with bone-in (shoulder and chuck work well)
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1-1/2 cups red wine (Côtes-du-Rhône and Chianti are good options, the wine should not be excessively tannic)
Water, if necessary
8 to 10 cloves garlic, peeled
3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cups sliced button mushrooms
3 tablespoon olive oil, divided use
3 tablespoons butter, divided use
1 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 pound pasta (pappardelle, penne or egg noodles are suitable options)
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  Heat a dutch oven on the stove at medium heat.  Meanwhile, absorb any excess moisture of the roast with paper towels.  Liberally apply salt and pepper to all sides of the meat.  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the dutch oven and coat the bottom surface well.  Using tongs, sear the roast on all sides, approximately 5 minutes per side.  Turn off the heat and add the wine.  If the wine does not come up half to two-thirds of the way up the side of the roast, add water to reach that level.  The wine will boil ferociously for a few minutes even though the heat is off.  Add the garlic cloves and the thyme to the wine.  Cover the dish and place in the oven for 1 hour.

Flip the meat, cover the dish again, and continue to cook for 1 more hour.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.  Place the roast in the refrigerator over night or until the fat has solidified at the surface.

The liquid will become gelatinous once cold.  Remove the fat from the surface with a spoon and discard.  Place the dutch oven on the stove top until the meat is warm, but not hot to the touch.  The gelatin will melt again.  Remove the meat and shred, discarding bones and gristle.  Place the shredded meat in a separate bowl and mash the garlic into the sauce.  Pour the sauce into a separate container.

In the empty dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter on medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and sauté approximately 10 minutes.  The mushrooms will absorb the fat, become dry, and release their own liquid before they are done.  Remove the mushrooms and add to the bowl of shredded beef.

Prepare the pasta according to its instructions.

Meanwhile, reduce the heat of the dutch oven to low and add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon flour.  Stir into a roux for 1 minute.  Add the reserved liquid from the braising.  Stir until the sauce thickens.  Add the cream and adjust for seasoning.

Add the beef and mushrooms back to the sauce and mix well.  Drain the finished pasta, being sure to reserve approximately 1 cup pasta water to use for thinning the sauce if necessary.  Add the pasta to the dutch oven, adjust for seasoning, and serve with a garnish of freshly chopped parsley.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

From Kristina Mistry

(Photo: Nicholas Mistry)

As the winter continues to blast the region with icy gusts of wind and below-freezing temperatures, the time has come for some hearty fare cooked slowly to add warmth to your home as well as your body.

And what could be more welcome than beef cooked until it falls apart with the touch of a fork? SavorSA offers two complementary yet different takes on braised beef with mushrooms. One is Pot Roast With Wild Mushrooms and Thyme, which is cooked in red wine. The other, Pasta With Braised Beef and Mushrooms, has wine with a hint of  cream.

We also include a recipe for Guinness Stew, an old favorite whose appeal extends far beyond Ireland.

No matter what you cook, just remember to stay warm this weekend.

Recipe: Pot Roast with Wild Mushrooms and Thyme

Recipe: Pasta With Braised Beef and Mushrooms

Recipe: Make Guinness Stew in a Slow Cooker

Many of the people we spoke with after preview screenings of “Julie & Julia” had one thing on their minds: boeuf bourguignon. The hearty beef stew is a centerpiece of one of the movie’s more appetizing food scenes.

Jessica Young was so inspired by the movie that she went out in search of her own copy of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking. “I’m obsessed,” she says. “Since the movie I have been lucky enough to find a 14^th printing of her first cookbook in Half Price Books (I love that it is used …) and I made beef bourguignon, which I have to say is very delicious!”

COCO Chocolate Lounge and Bistro, 18402 U.S. 281 N., Suite 114, is serving the dish tonight, Aug. 7, as a special.

But if you would rather try it at home, like Julie Powell and Jessica Young, here is Julia Child’s original recipe, lightly adapted  from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and complete with her comments:

Boeuf Bourguignon
Boeuf a la Bourguignonne
[Beef Stew in Red Wine, with Bacon, Onions, and Mushrooms]

As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately, you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated.

Vegetable and wine suggestions: Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. Serve with the beef a fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, Bordeaux-St. Émilion or Burgundy.

For 6 people.

• A 6-ounce chunk of bacon

Remove rind, and cut bacon into lardoons (sticks, ¼-inch thick and 1 1/2-inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 ½ quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

• A 9- to 10-inch fireproof casserole 3 inches deep
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil
• A slotted spoon

Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.

• 3 pounds lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes

Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

• 1 sliced carrot
• 1 sliced onion

In the same fat, brown the vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.

• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of pre-heated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

• 3 cups of a full-bodied young red wine, such as one of those suggested for serving, or a Chianti
• 2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cloves mashed garlic
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• A crumbled bay leaf
• The blanched bacon rind

Stir in the wine and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of pre-heated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 ½ to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

• 18 to 24 small white onions, brown-braised in stock.
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig thyme
• 2 sprigs parsley

• 1 pound fresh mushrooms, quartered
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.

Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and add the onions to the skillet. Sauté over medium heat for about ten minutes, rolling the onions about so they brown as evenly as possible, without breaking apart. Pour in the stock, season to taste, add the herbs, and cover. Simmer over low heat for about 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated. Remove the herbs and set the onions aside.

For the mushrooms, heat the butter and oil over high heat in a large skillet. As soon as the foam begins to subside add the mushrooms and toss and shake the pan for about five minutes. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat. Set the mushrooms aside until needed.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim the fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 ½ cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. (Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.)

• Parsley sprigs

For immediate serving: Cover the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice and decorated with parsley.

For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

From knopfdoubleday.com and www.RecipeZaar.com.

As I walked onto the grounds at the Pearl Brewery farmers market last Saturday, I was amazed at the huge crowds.  I started coming to this market since its inception and even attended the one that coincided with the opening of the River Walk extension, which forced drivers to park as far away as Sam’s Burger Joint.  This Saturday’s crowds were not quite as large, but trust me, San Antonio has found the Pearl.

An abundance of variety, though not necessarily of quantity, was available from Oak Hill Farms.  The booth had tomatoes, corn, cucumbers (both slicing and pickling), dill, potatoes, peppers (jalapeños, anaheims and bell), leeks, basil and peas.  To decorate your table, they also had small bunches of flowers at $3 each.  Business was brisk and the lines were long for this market favorite, but they were already out of a few items by 9:30 a.m.

At the first tasting tent, Melissa Guerra was serving up vegetarian tamales filled with Swiss chard.  I sampled the moist masa surrounding a flavorful center.  Although I know there is a staunch camp that believes tamales must be made with lard, or at least have been made in the vicinity of a pork product, I can assure you that these tamales had great flavor. They also are a nice change from the heavier tamales.  And Guerra shared her recipe here.

HGB Foods from Converse had a diverse selection of gluten-free mixes, including some for pizza crust, bread, brownies and pancakes.  I sampled a prepared pancake, slightly sweet and still fluffy.  According to Sarah Dauphinais, the $4 mix is enough to make three breakfasts for a family of five.  To top the pancakes, I would suggest their sweet apple butter. Give the mix and apple butter together for a great hostess gift.

JDsquared Ranch, a grower who specializes in cut flowers, irises and day lilies, offered naturally red Florenza sunflowers as well as colorful zinnias.  Next week, this grower, located on 137 acres southeast of San Antonio, promises to have Sunrich Lemon Sunflowers, with vivid yellow petals.

After passing Watson Farms’ booth of jams and jellies — and tasting a few — I first smelled, then saw the La Feliciana freestone peaches from Rhew Orchards of Floresville.  Was that giddiness sweeping over me?  Peaches always remind me of trekking out to Marburger Orchards with my family and spending a hot morning in their peach grove, picking bushels of peaches to eat on the spot and make into jam later.  Although I have a distinct fondness for freestone peaches for the ease of removing the flesh from the pit, I have always been partial to the semi-freestone variety June Gold. Fortunately, these were  available from Casket Orchards of San Marcos, which also offered some freestone Harvester peaches that were perfectly sweet and juicy.

Alligator Creek Farms offered green beans, cherry tomatoes, sunflowers and tomatillos.  It was the first time that I have seen tomatillos at the Pearl market and they looked like they would make a great roasted tomatillo salsa.

I waited in line to sample corn-dusted shrimp with a salsa made from market ingredients, but the tray was empty by the time the line reached about four people in front of me.  Chef Johnny Hernandez said that he used ingredients from three of the farmer’s market vendors, including cornmeal from HGD and NaturalShrimp from outside LaCoste.  As it would take about 15 minutes until the next cooking demonstration and since the sun was very strong, I decided to continue my rounds.

Braune Farms of Geronimo brought a variety of produce including watermelons, cantaloupe and sweet corn.  In retrospect, I should have gotten a huge watermelon and topped it with lime, cayenne pepper and salt like I had last month from a roadside vendor in L.A.  It would have been a great appetizer for Father’s Day.

I managed to find some shade while waiting in line for gazpacho from Brian Montgomery of Texas Farm to Table.  The cool soup was garnished with a slice of banana pepper, which made this sample extra special.  It was just the pick-me-up I needed to combat the crowds by Toyota’s give-away tent where free herbs were being offered.

Lori McLain, the daughter of Kitchen Pride’s owner, offered white, baby bello (crimini), portobello and oyster mushrooms — all picked the previous day.  I selected a perfect ¾-pound oyster mushroom, which smelled faintly of oysters from the sea.  Others in line asked what I planned to do with such a beauty.  I replied that I actually had no plan, but was going to straight to their Web site for recipe ideas.  The workers at the booth were very pleased with their Pearl debut and commented that they were definitely going to sell out.  They reassured me that this coming Saturday they would bring even more of their scrumptious mushrooms.

While waiting in line for mushrooms, I struck up a conversation with a gentleman who lamented the fact that there were no good Jewish delis in San Antonio.  Any of you have suggestions?  I told him that unfortunately, I was unaware of the presence in San Antonio of a Jewish deli like those I have found in New York or Brookline, Mass.  In his bag, he had challah from Sol y Luna Baking Co. and hoped it would be similar to the version that he missed.  I sought out the booth and also found other bread selections, including olive and caraway rye.  I bought the latter as a small Father’s Day gift. Upon sampling it, my father commented that it tasted like an authentic German rye, but it would have to be consumed quickly to avoid becoming stale.  In his household, bread does not last long; I am sure that it was finished at the next breakfast.

Finally exhausted by the sun, I made my way to cover.  At the back of Melissa Guerra’s store was a table set up with “cash and carry” lead-free pottery.  I lamented the fact that I generally carry very little cash and was unprepared to purchase the beautiful dishes and candelabras.  Next week, I’ll be sure to pad my wallet a little heavier.

I’m a dedicated meat-eater. I think pork is one of the four basic food groups (butter and heavy cream make up a second).

So it may seem odd that when I finally broke down and got a gas grill, the first thing I cooked on it was a batch of fresh pattypan squash from the farmers market.

It wasn’t that I didn’t have any meat on hand, mind you. I had just gotten the vegetables that day from the market, though, and they were so fresh and firm that they were practically crying out to be quartered, marinated and grilled.

You don’t need a fancy dressing with sugar and/or a host of spices. All I did was coated them well with some olive oil, salt and pepper for a few minutes before putting them on the grill.

I didn’t need anything else that meal, except a glass of rosé, as good a drink with grilled foods as a cold beer.

Those squashes remain among of the best dishes to come off my grill, and not just because they were first. I continue to grill them exactly the same way, which is quite frequent now that squashes are in season.

But don’t limit yourself to squashes or peppers. You can grill most any vegetable, including eggplant, if you approach it right.

Tom Perini, owner of Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap, near Abilene, offers a great chart for grilled vegetables in his book, “Texas Cowboy Cooking,” which came out in 2000 and is still in print.

He doesn’t add anything to his Fire-Roasted Vegetables until they are finished cooking. All he does is cut some up and remove the seeds if needs be.

“This is a technique you can use with just about any vegetable,” he writes. “Grilling vegetables over a live fire awakens the sugars and brings the flavor of the vegetables to the surface, a flavor you don’t get in an oven. The color you get by grilling vegetables is spectacular: They look great with a little bit of char around the edges and there’s nothing prettier than grilled vegetables with your steak. Be careful not to cook them to much, they need to have a little firmness.”

That last sentence cannot be emphasized enough: Don’t let your attention stray from the vegetables. They cook quickly. Too much heat and you’ve got burnt mush.

Here are Tom’s suggestions for handling the vegetables and his time-table for cooking them to just the right doneness. He prefers coal, which does offer great added flavor, but I have found that gas works almost as well if you’re in a hurry or cooking for one:

Fire-Roasted Vegetables

Wash the vegetables. Use the chart below to determine proportions and cooking times. See that coals are red-hot and about 6 inches below the grill before starting to cook.

Peppers: bell, Anaheim, poblano, 8-10 minutes. Cut in half lengthwise and seed.
Peppers: jalapeños, 10 minutes. Leave whole.
Mushrooms, 8-10 minutes. Use whole caps with stems removed or trimmed.
Onions, sweet Texas, green and purple, 10-15 minutes. Slice crosswise into 1/2-inch slices.
Sweet potatoes, 8-10 minutes. Slice crosswise or diagonally into 1/2-inch slices.
Eggplant, 10 minutes. Slice crosswise or diagonally into 1/2-inch slices.

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine the dressing ingredients thoroughly. Toss the grilled vegetables in the dressing. This can be served at room temperature or chilled. Sliced beef may also be added.

From “Texas Cowboy Cooking” by Tom Perini