Beef Mironton: Wish for Leftovers

I love beef mironton for supper, and always try to squirrel away a portion of potroast/daube, boiled beef or any braised beef dish, so that I can make this super easy treat. I have never served it to anyone who didn't like it.

I seem to have deleted the snapshot I took, and as I have eaten all my supper, you will need to imagine it, I'm afraid. However, while it is not homely at all, it didn't become a favorite because of its looks. I have subsituted a picture of part of my cluttered pantry shelves instead. These are in a corner of my rental kitchen, but I cannot claim that the rest of it is any sleeker.

You can get your mironton all ready to pop in the oven and keep it in the fridge, but it is so quick to make, there's almost no point to doing it ahead. I originally learned the recipe from Mireille Johnston's Cuisine of the Sun, a treasured book I have gone on about before. Since then, I have seen mironton in any number of othersources- it is a traditional recipe. I tend to more or less stick to the M.J. version, though, which it is a winner.

2 cups cooked beef, chopped or siced
4 tsps olive oil
large onion, minced
2 tbsps broth or water
1 tsp red wine or balsamic vinegar
crushed garlic clove
bay leaf
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tsps capers
2 chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
homemade breadcrumbs, fresh or dried, about 1/2 cup

Preheat oven to 375F. Heat 2 tsps olive oil in a cast iron skillet, and cook the onion slowly for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, and cook slowly 5 more minutes. With a wooden spoon, stir in the broth and vinegar, and mush it all up a bit, into a smooth sauce. Add garlic, bay, nutmeg, parsley, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes. Oil a baking dish. Take the bay leaf out, and pour half the mixture into the dish. Top this with the beef and capers. Pour the rest of the mixture over. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and a little more olive oil. Bake about 30 minutes. Mireille J. gives a recipe for croquettes to make from the leftovers of this, but I have yet to have any. Salad and bread, and you're all set.

Comments

[holly]

Hi Lindy!

I got the books you sent me yesterday! Thanks so much...I can't wait to start reading them. I'm sending your package out tomorrow.

holly

[Ana]

I've been kinda off the beaten path lately, helping my kid fix his house every weekend, even if mine still needs fixing. But you're a mother too so you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, this recipe sounds really good. Will clip it out to use the next time I have leftover pot roast.