There’s something about a real French bistro that makes you want to pull up a chair, tuck a napkin into your lap, and see what’s on the menu. Warm and inviting, a bistro is the ultimate neighborhood restaurant, a place where, if you were lucky enough to live around the corner, you could happily eat three or four nights a week, even though the menu might offer nothing more than a few entrées, a couple of salads, and a single house dessert. Bistro food is French home cooking at its best—simple but satisfying dishes, presented without fanfare or flourish, often lovingly prepared personally by the proprietor.

不可能所有的永恒的cl的名字assics that qualify as bistro fare—everything from steak frites and roast chicken to steamed mussels and braised rabbit—but three of my all-time favorites are braised lamb shanks, beef stew, and a chicken sauté with vinegar. These are the dishes I can’t resist when I spot them on a menu, and since my visits to France aren’t nearly frequent enough to satisfy my appetite for these wonderful meals, I’ve come up with my own versions. Like most bistro food, these recipes aren’t fussy; and best of all, they taste really authentic. So next time you get a craving for that bistro atmosphere, here’s what you do: Make one of these dishes, call up a few good friends, set a casual table, and put on an Edith Piaf or Jacques Brel CD, or just your favorite jazz music. And then enjoy the little French bistro you’ve created in the comfort of your own home.

用大蒜和苦艾酒炖的羊腿小腿

About the only place you’ll see whole lamb shanks on a French menu is in a bistro. Perhaps the primitive appearance of the meaty shanks is considered too boorish for fine dining, I don’t know. But what I do know is that nothing matches slow-cooked lamb shanks for tenderness and depth of flavor. The inspiration for my recipe comes from Richard Olney’s简单的法国食品，柄和大蒜的地方只有一点水。我通过添加干白苦艾酒和几片面包叶来更新Olney的版本，从而使炖液体具有难以捉摸的草本味，可渗透到肉并加剧菜肴。

几点：羔羊在烹饪时扔掉大量的脂肪，因此请务必花时间在上菜前彻底浏览酱汁。更好的是，在打算为它们提供食物之前，将柄炖一两天，然后将其存放在冰箱中。当需要再加热和食用时，只需将固化脂肪从酱汁表面提起。一两天后，这道菜将具有更大的风味。

Chicken with Vinegar & Onions

In my experience, a poultry sauté is one of the most overlooked techniques in French cooking. It’s easier than pan-frying and more elegant than a stew. A sauté refers to dredging a cut-up bird (usually a small chicken) in flour before cooking it in a deep skillet with either butter or olive oil and very little, if any, added liquid. As the chicken cooks, it simmers in its own juices mingled with the fat, creating a very concentrated, rich sauce. Most cooks add some aromatics (onions, leeks, or shallots) and a bit of wine or vinegar to balance the richness.

在我的版本中，我首先炒洋葱，将其变甜而嫩，然后再将其加入炒鸡肉。我也喜欢龙卷风和鸡肉的组合，但是如果您不是龙龙球迷，则可以代替另一种精致的草药，例如欧芹，切尔维尔或细香葱。不过，我鼓励您与塔拉贡（Tarragon）一起尝试，因为即使是那些不反对草药的人也告诉我他们在这道菜中喜欢它。我发现，用一点点奶油装饰菜会使所有风味成为焦点。

用红酒和胡萝卜炖牛肉

简而言之，Daube（发音为DOHB）是一种基于红葡萄酒的牛肉或羔羊炖肉。当然，这种类型的菜有无数的风味排列，但是最著名的（也是我最喜欢的）是ProvençalDaube，该菜是在当地草药和一些橙皮的调味。橙色最初是苦涩的塞维利亚橙色，但您可以用几条肚脐橙制成一条精美的陶伯（如果您想增强味道，也要加一条柠檬条）。我还喜欢添加某种蔬菜装饰，以使炖汤变甜并变亮。在这里，我使用了切成大块的胡萝卜，使它们在长时间的烹饪过程中保持形状，但是您也可以将欧洲防风草，婴儿洋葱和芹菜的组合结合在一起。

在为Daube购买肉时，最好的选择是select a small chuck roast并自己切。大多数屠夫和肉类市场将炖肉的肉切成太小，无法使我偏爱。在我看来，适当的陶伯应该是刀叉的事 - 块大于咬合大小。