This is a recipe that I've gleaned from several sources, combined them, and refined them over years to the point I can do it in my sleep. It requires some forethought and willingness to start dinner at breakfast time, but you will be rewarded with a house that smells delicious for about 3 hours before dinner. Everyone in the house will be asking when will dinner be ready?
I don't measure anything more. My cooking is NOT scientific it is exploration and artistry like making music. I'M SO sorry if you are expecting a teaspoon of this and a cup of that. Learn to cook with your senses, it is liberating!
You don't need an exquisite cut of beef for this because it is going to braise in wine for 6-8 hours. It will be tender and melt in your mouth, trust me.
Don't waste an expensive bottle of wine on this recipe, and DO NOT USE "2-buck Chuck". Look for a Zinfandel (not White Zin) or Syrah in the $7-$9 range from Ravenswood or Fetzer. Something you'd drink if someone else bought it.
There are a few important points when handling the beef in this dish. First when you cube up the beef, it is very important to use paper towels to dry the beef to remove excess moisture. Second, the beef in this dish is coated with flour at the start. The floured beef will be browned which adds a significant complexity to the dish's flavor and makes for a silky smooth thick liquid. Don't skip or fudge this step in a hurry. Don't crowd the beef when browning in the olive oil, do it in batches.
You'll also need a good quality braising pot or "french oven". It needs to have a very heavy lid so that the braising liquid doesn't fully escape. I'm a huge proponent of Le Creuset. It is an investment that will last many lifetimes! See this
Le Creuset Cast Iron French Oven
What you need.
3-4# chuck roast, sirloin roast, or some type of roast.
Flour, coarse sea salt, fresh ground black pepper
Good quality Olive oil
750ml bottle of red wine (see above)
3 rashers of bacon, cut in thin strips
1 large onion rough chopped
3 large carrots, peeled rough chopped
3 cloves garlic, pounded and chopped
1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
Minor's Concentrated Chicken and Beef Stock (paste, available at Costco or good market) Do NOT use the cubes, they're awful (Better Than Bouillon is a good alternative too)
1 cinnamon stick
Rind from half orange (remove the white pithey part, you want the orange part of the rind)
Fresh basil that has been rolled then cut in thin strips.
Start this 6-8 hours from your planned meal time. I usually start at 10AM, and eat around 6PM. The prep stage takes 1 hour, so it is usually in the oven by 11AM.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Cube the roast into pieces roughly 1" on a side. Use paper towels to pat dry the beef cubes, again this is very important. If there is too much moisture, the beef will not brown properly.
In a bowl mix flour, sea salt and ground pepper. I'm guessing 3/4 cup of flour is sufficient.
Heat a very large heavy pot or french oven, pour enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, dredge the cubes of beef in the flour/salt/pepper to coat, then add them to the pot. Add enough to cover the bottom, you'll probably have to work two batches. Don't overcrowd the pot or you'll never get the beef to brown.
You need to brown all sides of the beef. The object here is to get sides brown (not burned and definitely not grey.) You'll know brown when you see it, it won't be grey! When the sides are brown, the natural sugars from the meat and flour are carmelized adding significant flavor to the stew. Skip this step and your stew will just not be good. Sorry. Learn to brown!
As the beef is browned on all sides, remove and put in a bowl. Repeat with any remaining beef, adding more olive oil if necessary.
Remove the last of the beef. The bottom of the pan should have a healthy coating of browned bits of flour stuck to it. Good! The French call this fond. We are now going to de glaze the fond which is going to make for a rich thick liquid for the stew. Add enough wine to the pot to just cover the bottom. Using a wooden spatula, work to remove all the bits of flour adding a little more wine at a time as it vaporizes. Once the pot has been liberated of the fond, pour this thick liquid off into the bowl with the beef.
Add the bacon and a bit more olive oil to the pot. Fry the bacon until it starts to brown then add the onions and carrots to saute until the onion begins to look translucent. Now add the garlic and saute for another couple of minutes. Don't let the garlic brown or burn.
Now pour the beef and de glazed fond back into the pot with the vegetables.
Add the remainder of the bottle of wine. Yes, the whole bottle!
Add the can of diced tomatoes and a couple of healthy spoons of the tomato paste.
In a microwave, heat in a pyrex measuring vessel, 1 cup water with a heaping tablespoon each of the concentrated chicken stock paste and beef stock paste. Again don't use bouillon cubes, they are just cubes of salt that have very little flavor.
Pour this into the stew.
Add the cinnamon stick and orange peel.
Stir well to mix, then bring to a boil on the stove. Remove from the stove.
Cover the braising pot with a heavy lid. It must be very heavy. Again, I can't say enough good things about a Le Creuset "French Oven".
Put into the 350 degree oven, but reduce the temperature to 275 degrees if it will braise for 6 hours, or 250 if it will braise for 8 hours.
Your heavy work is done! Enjoy the day, the house will smell incredible in a few hours.
Remove from the oven and stir in the fresh basil, cover and let everything rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Serving suggestions and variations.
On occasion I like to add porcini mushrooms to this. I like using the dried ones and rehydrating them in boiling wine or water about 1 hour from finish, and adding them to the stew about 30 minutes before finished. The porcini is a wonderful mushroom in this dish. Any other mushroom gets overpowered.
One of my favorite things to serve with this is polenta. I make mine with a bit of chopped shallot, chicken stock, basil and fresh grated parmesan cheese (don't use the saw dust in a can, it is shite). Put a large plop of polenta in the bowl, then ladle the stew over the polenta. Makes for a wonderful surprise for guests to dig into.
Another variation is to add a nice spoon full of gremolata on the top of the stew when plated. Makes for a great presentation and tastes incredible. Gremolata is easy to make, it is a mixture of grated lemon peel, minced garlic, chopped fresh parsley and olive oil. Your goal is to make a paste that has a pesto consistency.
Serve this up with a thick crusty Italian bread like a chiabatta or go soft with a Focaccia.
My recommendation for wines would be a Syrah, Petite Syrah, a hearty Zinfandel (not White Zin!), Barolo, or even a Chianti. A cabernet would be wasted on this dish, there is too much going on with the cinnamon, orange, tomato flavors.
Bon Appetit!
Let me know if you have any questions or how it turned out for you!
2 comments:
It is wonderful.
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