It’s the first weekend of Spring, but here in Boston it was turned cold again, with the potential for snow in the next 24 hours, so I thought that I would get one more “winter-ish” recipe in. Surprisingly, I have never posted this recipe, even though beef stew is one of my staple dishes. I usually make a big batch as it freezes well. And it makes the flat all nice and cozy. Onwards to spring, but first, enjoy some Bœuf Bourguignon, Kat style.
Ingredients
4-pound boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed and cut into 4-inch pieces
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 yellow onions, chopped fine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 750 ml bottle rich red wine, such as a burgundy
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 French Demi-Glaze Stock “puck”
2 pounds crimini mushroom, trimmed and cut in half if large
1 pound very small shallots, peeled but left whole (you could also use mini-onions)
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into largish 2 – 2 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat to 325F.
Season the beef with salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat the 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the onions and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for an additional 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken stock, 3/4 bottle of wine and thyme, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beef and return to a simmer.
Transfer the pot to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 90 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. While the stew is cooking, heat a skillet with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Sauté the whole onions until lightly browned and softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add the mushroom and sauté until tender as well, an additional 8 minutes. Set aside in a work bowl and cover. In a pot of boiling water, simmer the carrots until just under tender (you don’t want them falling apart); drain and set aside.
After the meat has finished braising, remove meat to another work bowl and pour off the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to a fat separator. Discard the solids and let the sauce sit so that some of the fat rises to the top. In the meantime, you can wash out your dutch over (you will need it again in a minute). Return the sauce to the now cleaned dutch over, add the remaining quarter of the bottle and the stock “puck” and let simmer on low heat for 15 minutes or so, until it has thickened to a glaze like consistency. Finally, add the beef, mushrooms, shallots and carrots back to the Dutch oven. Let simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Re-season with salt and pepper if necessary. Add the chopped parsley. Serve with potatoes (traditional), noodles, spätzle or even rice.
* What is this? A company called More than Gourmet makes these stock “pucks” (they are a little smaller than a hockey puck). While they make many types, and even though this is chicken dish, I use the traditional French demi-glaze, which is actually beef. More Than Gourmet products can be found at Whole Foods, Wegmans, other higher end grocery stores and online through Amazon.
