From the Alsace to Burgundy

From Freiburg, we drove to Strasbourg in the Alsace and took the wine route to Turckheim. As well as wine, Alsace is a region of many traditions - picturesque painted houses, storks atop chimneys and the food is a kind of fusion of French & German. It is the home of tarte flambee, which is similar to the Italian white pizza; kugelhopf, a yeasty cake baked in a decorative circular mould; and choucroute, a variety of pork cuts & sausage served with sauerkraut. The Alsace dish that took my fancy is Baeckoffe which is a casserole cooked in white wine in a beautiful earthenware dish. Try this simple recipe for 6. Marinate overnight 300g diced pork (loin), 300g diced lamb (shoulder), 300g diced beef (chuck), 3 carrots & a leek sliced with 3 finely chopped onions, plus a bouquet garni, 2 cloves & 4 juniper berries. Season & pour over 1/2 a bottle of Alsace Riesling.
The next day lightly butter a Baeckoffe dish (I used the Le Creuset) & rub with a clove of garlic. Cover the base of the dish with a layer of peeled & thinly sliced waxy potatoes, layer up the meat & vegetables, top with another layer of potatoes and pour over the marinade liquid. Cover & cook in a low oven - around 160 - for 3 hours. There was a lot of liquid and I guess it was traditionally mopped up with bread but I just got out a soup spoon. I thought it would be quite winey but it was just like drinking a very flavourful stock. There are lots of versions, some more complicated than others but this worked for me. My butcher chopped all the meat so there was really very little work and quite considerable rewards. Serve with a simple green salad. This will become a winter standby.
Our next stop was Dijon in the heart of Burgundy and the home of the French traditions we are familiar with - snails, Boeuf Bourguignon, coq au vin and Dijon mustard. As well as the old favouries I made some new friends. Kir - a mix of Creme de Cassis with white wine enjoyed as an aperitif; Oeufs en Meurette - eggs in a red wine sauce which sounded alarming but was truly wonderful; Jambon Persille - a terrine of ham & and parsley; and to finish, the divine pain d'epices - a French gingerbread/cake. I found the trick is to try things with an open mind. Quite frankly, the idea of eggs in a meat sauce or ham in aspic was a bit scary but I am a convert to both.
Using a French recipe I created what I think is a fairly traditional Boeuf Bourguignon which I have attempted to translate for you here. This isn't at all scary and really quite simple which is the case with most French provincial cooking. This is food to make at home.
Assemble:
1.5 kg stewing meat
1 bottle red wine
250g pork belly or streaky bacon
2 carrots
20 pickling onions
300g mushrooms - I think they are brown buttons
1 tbsp flour
2 shallots
1 clove garlic
1 bouquet garni - this usually comprises a bayleaf with a sprig or 2 of parsley & thyme
salt & pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
50g butter
Brown the meat in your Le Creuset with the oil & butter. Remove & set aside while you soften the onions, finely chopped shallots & lardons. Put the meat back in the pot with the flour & mix well. Cover with the wine. Throw in the carrots, the boquet garni, chopped garlic & seasoning. Here I should mention that I was given a little pot of Fleur de Sel au Poivre de Penja when I was in France and this now goes into all my dishes.
Bring to the boil. Cover & simmer 3 hours. Throw in the mushrooms & leave to cook another 15 minutes.
Serve with steamed potatoes or pasta. I chose potatoes but pasta is a very popular French accompaniment. There will be enough for 2 meals for four, so freeze one portion for a rainy day.
This is really simple because once it's underway you don't have to do anything until 15 mins or so before serving. There were 2 other variations which I think involved marinading the meat overnight in the wine but I had enough trouble translating this one. Making this does give you a sense of firstly how uncomplicated good French cooking really is and secondly why it tastes so good.
Bon appetit.