Baby, It’s Cold Outside

We’re not a winter family. Certain families, when the temperature drops below zero and the sky goes gray, just know how to get it done. They bundle properly. They have gear. They layer well, and have Thules on their cars and, in general, seem to be impervious to the elements. But us? We don’t do well in the cold. We’ve only gone skiing once, our ice-skating skills fall short of limited, and we’ve yet to find the magical combination of coat, gloves, and hats that will keep our less-than-hardy kids from whining about, as they like to say between (what I suspect are hammy) shivers, "turning into ice cubes." Jenny wears my ratty old fleece and wool scarf inside the house pretty much from November through April, and not a day goes by when she doesn’t come down in the morning and announce -- as though our house, on that particular morning, is any colder than any other winter morning in the last seven years – that, “Oh my god, it’s FREEZING IN HERE. Is the heat on?” So we tend to be inside a lot during the winter – loooooong days reading or puttering around, making fires, playing Monopoly, drinking hot chocolate, making strange things from clay, writing blog posts, and cooking. I love the summer, and I love the grill, but winter cooking has its own rewards, too – namely, lots of braising meats, one-pot meals, slow-cooking ragus, and, my personal favorite, Belgian beef stew. We adapted this one from a Mark Bittman recipe about ten years ago, and we’ve been wearing it out ever since. Phoebe enjoys the whole package, Abby just the meat and potatoes. The best part, for the grown-ups, is the Dijon mustard you drizzle on at the end, and the tangy, beery broth you can drink with your spoon. It’s very basic, very tasty, and it’s warm. Until we learn to ski, it will have to do. --Andy

Belgian Beef Stew 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 garlic cloves 1 1/2 pounds sirloin, cut into chunks 1 large onion, chopped 1 bottle of good, dark beer One bay leaf Few sprigs thyme 1 cup carrots, sliced 2 pounds red potatoes, peeled and boiled in salted water for about 15 minutes (or until a knife meets no resistance slicing through them) Salt and pepper, to taste Dijon mustard

In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil and one of your garlic cloves (cut roughly into three pieces) over medium high heat until garlic turns golden, about 1-2 minutes. Remove garlic from oil with slotted spoon. Add cubes of beef to the oil, in batches, and brown on all sides, salting and peppering as you go. Set beef aside. Add onion to pan, reduce heat to medium, and cook until onion is soft and sweating, about 8-10 minutes. Then add beef and its juices back into pan, with bottle of beer, one bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the of pan as you go. Reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes, then add carrots and your other clove of garlic (chopped), and cook for another 25 minutes, until carrots are tender. Serve over warm, boiled potatoes and top with a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. You'll need a spoon.