My favorite way to cook: braising

With the weather cooler and the breeze through our windows, I felt it was finally time to shine up my copper pot for fall and winter. Autumn is when it's finally appropriate to use some of my favorite herbs like rosemary that are too hearty for Florida's hot summers. I love to use my copper pot for roasting and braising some hearty meals like sauteed multi-colored potatoes, and my mother's beef stew. 

My copper pot is one of my most prized kitchen possessions. My dad bought it during one of his first trips to Paris, France, an authentic Mauviel dimpled copper pot. He gave it as a gift to my grandmother, who is just as amazing in the kitchen as my dad is. Years later at Thanksgiving, my grandmother said she didn't use it much, and asked if I would use it. I had no idea at the time how in love with this pot I would become. I adore every meal that comes out of it, as if by magic it cannot produce one bad dish.

Ever since visiting my dad's house weeks earlier to have grilled whole sardines and mussels in a white wine sauce, I had been craving a dish with a white wine base. I myself had never made one, so it was about time I get to braising something. With some luck, I stumbled upon this dish, Coq au Riesling, on Pinterest.

It's a dish with chicken browned in the pot, then onions, bacon, and mushrooms sauteed. Later, white wine (I used Pinot Grigio instead of Riesling and skipped the cream for a thinner sauce) is added and everything braises on the stove top, filling the house with the most incredible scents. I served the dish not with pasta or rice, but instead with a simple loaf of crusty ciabatta bread for dipping and soaking up the extra sauce. It was the best new meal I have made at home in a long time. 

Since having a chaotic weekend of events at work and an emotional week of saying goodbye to my beagle, things feel like they are finally getting back to normal. We are visiting friends and family this weekend so it will be nice to hug my family and together commemorate the long and lazy life of our dog that we've loved for what seems like all of my life.