New York Style Pizza Dough for your bread machine/fridge cold proof

3 cups King Arthur bread flour
1 1/4 cups warm water

1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
1.25 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1-2 tablespoons of your best full-flavor olive oil

Remove the dough receptacle for the machine, fill it with hot water, and allow it to sit for 4 minutes, empty, dry thoroughly, and return to the bread machine. 

Add warm (not hot) water to the dough receptacle, and add sugar to the water. 

Whisk together Flour and instant yeast in a separate bowl, add to the dough receptacle, then place salt on top of the Flour. Turn on the dough cycle and close the lid. 

Return in a few minutes, open the lid, and scrape any unincorporated flour from the sides and bottom using a rubber spatula. 

Close the lid and walk away for a few minutes; once all the dough is incorporated and hydrated, slowly drizzle one tablespoon of good olive oil onto the dough ball. Recheck the dough during the cycle and add an additional tablespoon of olive oil only if the dough ball has lost its smooth look. 

When the dough kneading stops, time 15 minutes to allow the dough to rest, dump onto a floured board, divide into 2 equal-sized dough pieces, shape it into smooth disks, pinch the bottoms closed, and spin it round and round with the sides of your palms to form. 

Oil the inside of one sizeable gallon-sized zip lock bag, place dough in the bag, laying flat, and place the bag in the fridge for 2-3  days. 

Remove the dough from the refrigerator 1-2 hours before working with it. Flour a surface generously, take one disk at a time, lay on a floured surface, and sprinkle Flour on the top of the dough disk. Stretch out your dough. 

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees; if you have a pizza stone or steel, use it. If you have a large baker's cast iron baking pan, use it. Otherwise, a flat cookie sheet will do. Cook for 10-12 minutes on the lowest shelf of the oven. I prefer the 12 minutes myself. If you have a stone or steel, you must figure out your time by trial and error. 

Refer to Youtube for a dough stretching video on stretching out and handling your dough when making the pizza. 

Note: I divided the dough into 3 discs, as is evident in the photos. The recipe should be for 2 discs, as the crust was too thin and stretched; I'm learning. 

Note on Flour* Use bread flour; the higher protein content makes for a firm dough that will resist tearing, so you can stretch and shape your dough. All-purpose Flour will not work as the structure is not strong enough. Also, try and use something other than a fancy 00 flour, as your oven will never get hot enough for it; 00 requires at least an 800-degree temp to cook correctly. 

Guinness Stout Stew

 

2 Pounds of Stew meat (Beef or Lamb)

4 medium Carrots, peeled and chopped

4 Ribs Celery, cleaned, trimmed, and chopped

3 Medium-sized Russett potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 medium onion, peeled and quartered

1 8oz bag frozen mixed vegetables

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 1oz bottle Guinness Stout

5 cups beef stock prepared from Better than Bullion/or good homemade stock

5 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled

2 Bay leaves

A sprig of thyme or a couple of pinches of dried thyme

2 tbsp fat, beef, lard, or oil

For flouring stew meat

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

a couple of extra taps of pepper for the stew pot

Mix flour salt and pepper and toss the cubed stew meat through the mixture coating heavily. Heat 2 tablespoons of fat in a stew pot (preferably cast iron). Brown beef turning for even browning. Remove beef and toss in garlic, cook for a moment, careful not to burn. Add a little of the leftover flour mixture and brown for a moment. Deglaze the pot with the whole bottle of Guinness Stout, use a whisk to incorporate the flour mixture into the stout. Add prepared beef stock and tomato paste, mix to incorporate, add quartered onion. Return the meat to the pot, bring to a full bubble, cover and turn down to a simmer for 1 hour. Add, carrots, potatoes and celery, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook for 30 minutes, then add thawed mixed veggies. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Total cook time, 2 hours. 

Best served with hot biscuits or hot crusty french bread and butter. 

Note* I do not add any additional salt to the stew as it is in the flour, the bullion stock and there is a good bit in celery. You may adjust the seasoning as you wish, but I recommend not adding salt till the end. 

Note* The stew may seem overly bitter during the first half of cooking due to the Guinness, however, don't panic. The sweetness from the carrots and tomato paste along with cooking time mellows it and makes it all come together for a very rich and balanced stew gravy. 

Leftover ideas: 

Used the leftover stew as a filling for double crusted pot pie then freeze for an easy homemade convenience meal. 

Serve the stew over hot steamed rice for a changeup. 

Braised Beef Short Ribs in a Red Wine Sauce

 

5-6 Pounds of Beef Short Ribs, English Cut

3 Carrots

1/3 upper part of celery bunch with leaves (cut the top off the bunch)

1 large yellow onion

6-7 cloves of garlic

A sprig of thyme or a sprinkle of dried time 1/2 teaspoon

A small sprig of rosemary (very small) or a pinch of dried rosemary. Careful with this herb on this dish or it will dominate the red wine. 

2 bay leaves

2 spice cloves

1/2 teaspoon peppercorns or a couple of taps of ground black

1 750ml bottle of red wine blend (any brand)

4-5 cups of beef stock (Better than Bullion Beef) or homemade

2 tablespoons kitchen bouquet

a light sprinkling of Montreal steak seasoning on top of the ribs (this is the salt for your dish/also it's in the bullion)

Heat a cast-iron pan with a good shot of cooking spray. When it looks hot, add 2 tablespoons avocado oil and 2 pats butter (you can use any oil that takes a high heat).

Sear short ribs on all sides and ends, allow enough time for a slight crust to build. Get some good tongs because you will need to stand there and hold the rib while the little ends sear. Use seasoned cast iron for the best result.

Transfer seared ribs fatty side up/bone side down in a dutch oven, strain all but two tablespoons of fat from the cast iron skillet.

Add 1 onion cut in half and brown it on both sides, add to the dutch oven.

Throw smashed peeled garlic cloves into the skillet, brown golden and aromatic transfer to the dutch oven.

Deglaze cast iron skillet with the entire bottle of wine, let cook for two minutes while scraping the bottom of the skillet, transfer to the dutch oven.

Heat your beef stock in the skillet before adding to the Dutch oven.

Everybody in the pool now, all remaining ingredients added into the Dutch oven, reserving the Montreal steak seasoning which is to be sprinkled over the ribs peeking out of the wine bath.

Cover and place in a 400 degree for 30 minutes, lower heat to 265 for 3-1/2 hours or till tender.

Remove from oven, leave everything in the dutch oven. uncover and cool (about an hour, I place a splatter screen over it while it cools) Cover, and put it to bed in the refrigerate overnight.

Next day, remove solid fat from the top of the sauce, reserve, and set aside.

Return the dutch oven to a 400-degree oven for 35 minutes or till piping hot.

Remove pan from oven, transfer the short rib sauce, through a large mesh strainer, into a bowl, and reserve.

In the meantime, take 2 tablespoons of reserved fat and 2 tablespoons flour for every 1 cup of short rib sauce, I did 6 of each. Create a rue, cook out the raw flour flavor, slowly add hot stock whisking with addition. Bring to a low simmer till thickened.

This should be served with Mashed Potatoes ala David Paul and something with an acidic bite to cut the richness, like broccolini, asparagus, or broccoli in a light lemon sauce.