Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Onions

• Toss Brussel sprouts with olive oil and Herbes de Provence
• Line a cookie sheet with foil & spray with olive oil
• Cut onions in half leaving skins on
• Place sprouts and onions (cut side down) on lined cookie sheet
• Bake at 425º for one hour

Roasted Winter Vegetables

• Toss and coat whole unpeeled parsnips, carrots, and fingerling potatoes in olive oil and Herbes de Provence.
• Layer on a cookie sheet and roast in a slow oven until tender.

• Serve with Le Boeuf Bourguignon, a green salad topped with slivers of winter pear, walnuts and crumbled goat cheese

Le Boeuf Bourguignon

This is a translation from an ancient recipe from Bourgogne...simple ingredients from simpler times. The leisurely cooking time make this an easy fall or winter meal.

• Cut up 2+ lbs of lean stew meat into bite-sized pieces
• In a large cast iron casserole heat 3 Tbs margarine and 1 Tbs olive oil
• Saute meat until it approaches a rich brown color
• Remove meat and saute two diced large onions until translucent
• Return meat to the pan and add 1 Tbs flour, stirring to blend
• Add bay leaves, a bouquet of parsley and a bottle of red burgundy
• Cover and put in a 275 degree oven for 3 hours
• If sauce is not thick enough after 3 hours blend 1 Tbs margarine and 1 Tbs flour together and stir into sauce
• Just before serving, season and stir in a tsp of sugar and cover the surface with a small glass of brandy or marc and flambé

Serve with roasted winter vegetables, a green salad, a good bottle of Vin de Bourgogne, and a fresh baguette.

Roasted Golden Beets

Wash and dry golden beets and wrap each in aluminum foil. Place off the heat on the grill (close the grill so it's like an oven) for about an hour. When cooled, peel & cut into small chunks, toss with balsamic vinegar, ribbons of fresh basil, salt and pepper. For a summer salad with great texture, add beets to mixed greens, croutons, crumbled feta and toss
lightly with a vinaigrette.

Simple&Savory

The late Phyllis McGhee, a political revolutionary from Dublin, gave me one of the best reasons for getting to know your way around the kitchen. In her lively, spirited way, she described cooking lessons from “a great big fat nun… a lovely, lovely lady. I didn’t know why this was cookery but this is what she taught me… it is very important to be able to create a meal from simple raw ingredients ‘cause if you succeed in doing that, you’ll not only be able to make a living. You can always dig a little hole in the ground, put a potato down, grow it… then boil it and after it comes out you can eat it. You can survive.”


As I experienced daily life in many cultures through the need to cook a meal, her words were an inspiration. I learned that fresh and simple ingredients were the key to any cuisine. It is with that in mind that Simple&Savory offers food for your table that can be made with seasonal ingredients, utensils from your kitchen drawer, pots from your pantry and a teacup.