- 6
- 240 mins
Ingredients
- 6 ounces bacon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 pounds lean stewing beef (cut into 2-inch cubes)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 carrot (sliced)
- 1 onion (sliced)
- 3 cups full-bodied young red wine (like Chianti)
- 2-3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cloves mashed garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1 crumbled bay leaf
- 18-24 small white onions (brown-braised in stock)
- 1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms (sauteed in butter)
- Parley sprigs
Preparation
Step 1
Step 1
Ingredients:
6 ounces bacon
Instructions:
Remove rind from bacon and cut in sticks, 1/4 inch thick. Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts water. Drain and dry.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 450F.
Step 3
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 pounds lean stewing beef (cut into 2-inch cubes)
Instructions:
Saute the bacon in olive oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown slightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set pot aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you saute the beef.
Step 4
Dry the beef in paper towels, it will not brown if it is damp. Saute it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.
Step 5
Ingredients:
1 carrot (sliced)
1 onion (sliced)
Instructions:
In the same fat, brown the sliced carrot and onion. Pour out the fat.
Step 6
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons flour
Instructions:
Return the beef and bacon to the pot and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set pot uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. Remove pot, and turn oven down to 325F.
Step 7
Ingredients:
3 cups full-bodied young red wine (like Chianti)
2-3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 crumbled bay leaf
Instructions:
Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the pot and set in lover third of oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is sone when a fork pierces it easily.
Step 8
Ingredients:
18-24 small white onions (brown-braised in stock)
1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms (sauteed in butter)
Instructions:
While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.
Onions
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with one and one-half tablespoons of the oil until bubbling in a skillet. Add onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect them to brown uniformly. Add 1/2 cup of the stock, salt and pepper to taste and the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet and set onions aside.
Mushrooms
Wipe out skillet and heat remaining oil and butter over high heat. As soon as you see butter has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add mushrooms. Toss and shake pan for 4 to 5 minutes. As soon as they have begun to brown lightly, remove from heat. When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan.
Step 9
When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the bee and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.
Step 10
Ingredients:
parley sprigs
Instructions:
Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Serve immediately.