We’ve had some less than ideal weather here in the Bay Area the past few days, nearly torrential downpours and I swear I’ve heard thunder throughout the day. The unfortunate result of rain in these volumes is, inevitably, flooding. Thankfully, our house was spared, but a close friend of ours had the bad luck of living on a street with an overwhelmed water main, which burst and sent water gushing down the street into their house. I don’t know the specifics at this point, but I do know, from prior experience, that when your house turns into a pile of oozy muck, making dinner is not something you generally want to think about.

In this spirit, and considering I have nothing else to do all day in my current state of funemployment, I decided to make them a stew. Yesterday’s post was a long rambling one, so I will keep this one to the recipe, interspersed with pictures. The original recipe can be found here, and while it is delicious, it was not well edited, and as I lacked some of the ingredients anyways, I have noted my adjustments where necessary.

Classic Beef Stew

adapted from RadioGastronomy.com

For the stew:

Neutral flavored oil, such as vegetable or canola

All-purpose flour for dredging the meat

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

3.5 lbs of beef chuck (we had shank, with bones) cut into approximately 1.5″ cubes

1 medium yellow onion, thick dice

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into .5″ slices, halve thicker parts

2 celery stalks, cut into .5″ slices

1/2 cup good red wine (we had an open bottle of Malbec)

1 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

8 cups chicken or beef stock

4 cloves of garlic, smashed under a knife blade

Cheesecloth for making a bouquet garni (or you can leave it loose in the pot) which will include:

2 bay leaves

15-20 black peppercorns

10-15 juniper berries

For the garniture:

8 oz. white button mushrooms, briefly rinsed, peeled and quartered, peels and stems reserved

10-15 golden creamer potatoes, cut into roughly 3/4″ cubes

OR

a pound of itty bitty potatoes. I honestly don’t even know what these were called, but they probably could have been cooked whole, but I sliced them in half, to show off the fabulous colors.

4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped as before

More neutral flavored oil

Butter for sauteing

1.5 tsp. sugar

More salt and pepper, for flavor

Instructions:

  1. Mix about half a cup of flour and a tablespoon each of fresh ground pepper and sea salt and pour onto a plate to dredge the beef. Thoroughly coat each piece and pat off the extra, place to the side on a clean plate.
  2. Over high, heat enough oil in a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot to just coat the bottom. When the oil is hot, brown the outside of the meat, working in batches to prevent overcrowding. Set aside on a plate lined with paper towel.
  3. Pour any excess oil from the pan and add fresh oil, again, enough to just coat the bottom of the pan. Over a medium-high flame, heat the oil, then add the onion, carrots and celery. Stir thoroughly and allow the vegetables to sweat until the onions become translucent and the mixture becomes fragrant. This will take about 8 minutes, and be sure to stir it occasionally to ensure it all cooks evenly.
  4. When the onions are translucent and the other vegetables soft, add the wine. Give this a good stir, making sure to scrape up all the bits on the bottom. Cook until the wine is reduced by about half.
  5. Add the meat, crushed tomatoes, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, stock, mushroom peels and stems, and bouquet garni. Bring the whole lot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Leave it mostly covered at a gentle simmer for 4 hours, or until the meat is fall-apart tender.

The garniture will take about an hour or so to prepare, so plan accordingly.

  1. Place the potatoes with enough water to cover them by at least an inch in a saucepan and bring to a boil. When the water comes to a rapid boil, add salt, and boil for about 8 minutes. When a fork goes through easily, they are done. Drain, in a colander and set aside.
  2. In a medium cast iron skillet, heat a mixture of butter and olive oil (a tablespoon of each for a 10” pan, you want a good pool in the pan). Add the mushrooms, mixing well to coat it all thoroughly. The mushrooms will absorb the butter-oil quickly and look to dry, but after about 5 more minutes, they will release A LOT of liquid, so wait it out. When they soften and take on a deep brown color, they are done. Set them aside in a bowl lined with paper towel.
  3. Add fresh oil and butter to the pan, and as it melts, add the sugar and a teaspoon of salt. Add the carrots and pour in just enough water to reach a quarter inch up the side of the pan (or halfway up the carrot slices). Turn the heat to medium and cover the pan. When the water begins to bubble rapidly, lower the flame and offset the lid to allow steam to escape. Stir occasionally until nearly all the liquid is done and the carrots are fork tender. Turn off the heat and place on a cool burner until step 10.

Last two steps, you’re almost done!

  1. Set up a colander over another stockpot and slowly pour the stew through, stopping occasionally to remove the pieces of meat and set aside in a bowl. Press the solids lightly with the back of a spoon to ensure all the liquid is drained into the new pot. Discard the remaining solids.
  2. Place the new pot of broth back on the stove over high heat and bring it to a boil. Keep at a low boil until reduced by approximately one third. The broth will take on a gorgeous color and fragrance, but do not allow it to thicken too much: you want a broth, not a sauce. Turn off the heat, then taste and season with salt as desired.
  3. Return the meat, carrots, potatoes and mushrooms to the broth. Stir gently and serve hot with big hunks of crusty bread and a nice glass of red wine.
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