Ingredients
- Aromatic bouquet
- 4 ounces salt pork, cut into 1/4-inch-thick matchsticks
- 10 sprigs fresh parsley, torn into pieces
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 medium onions, chopped coarse
- 2 medium carrots, chopped coarse
- 1 medium head garlic, cloves separated and crushed
- 2 bay leaves, crumbled
- 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
- Stew
- 1 (31/2- to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck eye roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
- 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (750-ml) bottle red Burgundy or Pinot Noir
- 11/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 11/4 cups low-sodium beef broth
- Garnish
- 7 ounces frozen pearl onions
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 pound white mushrooms, wiped clean and halved if small or quartered if large
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
- Ground black pepper
Preparation
Step 1
For the bouquet: Cook the salt pork in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until lightly browned and crisp, about 12 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the salt pork to a plate. Pour off and reserve the fat. Following the illustrations on page 102, assemble the salt pork and remaining bouquet ingredients into a double-layer cheesecloth pouch and tie securely with kitchen twine.
For the stew: Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the rendered pork fat in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of the meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 7 to 10_minutes, reducing the heat if the pot begins to scorch. Transfer the browned beef to a medium bowl. Repeat with 1 tablespoon more rendered pork fat and the remaining beef; transfer to the bowl.
3. Add the butter to the pot and melt over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in all but 2 tablespoons of the wine, scraping up any browned bits. Gradually whisk in the broths until smooth and bring to a simmer.
4. Stir in the browned meat with any ¬accumulated juices, submerge the aromatic bouquet in the liquid, and bring to a simmer. Cover, place the pot in the oven, and cook until the meat is tender, 2 1/2-3hours.
5. For the garnish: Bring the pearl onions, water, butter, and sugar to a boil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the onions are fully thawed and tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook until all the liquid evaporates, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, without stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir and continue to cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are browned and glazed, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
6. Remove the stew from the oven and remove the aromatic bouquet. Stir in the mushroom and onion garnish, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons wine, brandy, and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste before serving