I made chicken a couple weeks ago, and shared the pictures here on Hive.

This Sunday, I did something similar with beef.

Before I share a couple of photos of it, I would like to point out that my goal in the kitchen is to learn the absolute essentials of cooking. It is easy to follow a recipe on Duck Duck Go; I want to learn what makes food delicious so I don't need to follow the recipe too closely and can improvise on the fly.

My syllabus has been watching [The French Chef with Julia Child](https://www.pbs.org/food/shows/the-french-chef/), and experimenting in the kitchen. This show is fantastic and I highly recommend it! 

Julia intersperses her episodes (which focus on a single dish usually) with gems of cooking wisdom. 

Ok, the beef. We tend to cook what is available at the store, so when my wife came home with a bottom round I got to looking to see what we could do with it. Basically, I did something similar to what I did with the chicken, although I cooked it for much longer. 

![IMG_20200503_144334.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/protegeaa/7tWhrswx-IMG_20200503_144334.jpg)

I'm really beginning to love the Dutch oven.

Underneath the beef was a cup of Cabernet Sauvignon and two cups of beef broth, two quartered onions, potatoes. I had also diced onions and garlic in the beef juices after browning the beef. I strained that liquid after spooning out the potatoes and carrots to make a very good gravy.

Even though the cab was a bit fruit forward, after cooking for two hours it was very mellow and didn't make for an overly rich or sweet gravy. I would like to try a more tannin laden wine next time, maybe a syrah or Malbec.

![IMG_20200503_145653.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/protegeaa/JCt2a7Sk-IMG_20200503_145653.jpg)

The edges of the beef were very tender and delicious. The interior was a little dry, but the gravy made up for it.

Learning to cook what is available has been a huge way to grow in the kitchen, and has made me feel very prepared for any problems the food supply chain might bring. Overall, I think my chicken tasted much better, but the sides-the potatoes, carrots and onions, were just as good in both dishes. I can't wait to refine this recipe further.

![IMG_20200503_145757.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/protegeaa/G82Su9tG-IMG_20200503_145757.jpg)


-*Jeff*