By Cheryl Orr

March has been filled with extremes. A wide range of weather fluctuations, great uncertainty in the Middle East, and tensions in the US all lead us to seek comfort in our daily lives through faith, friends, and, of course, food.

For comforting foods, I always look back to nostalgic recipes that my grandmother or mother made. For many in the South that is a warm bowl of Chicken and Pastry. My grandmother made this dish as well, although she was not southern, but had roots from the UK where meat and vegetable stews, with the addition of a flour and water pastry to stretch the meal, were popular as far back as the 5th century.
My mother made a similar dish with beef as a midwestern spin. Our family had a farming and ranching history, and I might be safe to guess that I’m the only Edentonian to have been on a cattle drive. Beef was wildly popular back then, and not as expensive an endeavor as it is now to incorporate into a meal. But this beef and pastry noodles dish uses a fairly inexpensive chuck roast as its base.
This week, I have included my recipe for Beef and Pastry Noodles. If making your own pastry noodles is not appealing you can substitute an extra wide homestyle dried noodle. This is also a dish you can throw into the crockpot to slow cook all day, and add the pastry noodles a half hour before serving.

Enjoy!

If you have a cooking question, contact me at cher.orr@gmail.com and I’d be happy to assist!

Braised Beef and Pastry Noodles

Serves 6
INGREDIENTS 

• 3 pound beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat, and cut into 3-4 pieces
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup AP flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large white onion, large diced
• 3 stalks celery, large diced
• 4 large carrots, large diced
• 6 cloves garlic, whole
• ½ cup red wine
• 2-4 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons beef demi-glace or Better Than Bouillon
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• ¾ cup warm water
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Season beef on all sides with salt and pepper, and lightly
   dredge in flour, set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Increase heat to medium high, and place beef in batches
   in the pot, not overcrowding. Sear until golden brown, turning over to sear all sides, and
   adding additional oil as needed. Remove and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium low. Add additional oil as needed. Add the onion, celery,
   carrots, and garlic to the fat in the pan and cook a few minutes.
4. Add the wine and stir, scraping up any fond that has developed on the bottom of the pot.
   Slowly pour in the beef stock, stirring until incorporated. Stir in the beef demi-glace,
   bay, and, and thyme. Add the reserved meats back into the pot with the juices. The liquid in the pan should barely cover the beef, add additional beef stock as needed. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low.
5. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and slowly braise for about 2 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender. While beef is braising make pastry dough.
6. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk together water and melted butter. Using a spatula, stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture just until incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for a minute, adding additional flour to the counter and to your hands, if necessary, to prevent sticking. Return the dough to the large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rest an hour. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface so that it’s ⅛-inch thick. Using a sharp knife slice the pastry into roughly 1-inch wide and 3-inch long strips.
7. When beef is very tender remove the pan from oven. Skim off fat from top of liquid in the Dutch oven and discard. Shred the beef. Add the cut pastry to the pan and cover with lid. Finish cooking in the oven about 20-30 minutes, until pastry is tender. Season to taste. Add freshly chopped parsley to serve.

Note: Packaged dry home-style extra wide noodles can be used in place of homemade pastry.

Recipe can be prepared in a crockpot after browning beef, and pastry noodles added a half hour before serving.

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Cheryl Orr is offering weekly Appy Hour at the Patisserie at Edenton Bay, as well as Supper Club and Cooking Classes that all can attend. She is currently completing her cookbook, and offering private cooking classes, small catering, and private chef dinners. See all on http://www.edentonepicurean.com