Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce

This recipe is one of Jacques Pepin’s, a renowned French chef. I found it in Food and Wine Magazine, and only made a few minor changes. (Here is the original recipe with a pretty picture.) While this hearty stew is inspired by boeuf bourguignon, classically flavored with red Burgundy, Pepin “prepares his version with the rich red wines of the southern Rhône, particularly those made from the Carignan grape.” Basically, this means you want a more “robust” wine.I used an Australia Cabernet that I was familiar with, that was certainly drinkable, but relatively inexpensive (about $8). You really shouldn’t cook with something that you wouldn’t drink by itself. But that being said, I never cook with wine that is as expensive as what I’ll be drinking with the meal.

The recipe called for a special piece of the shoulder meat called the flatiron steak. I was unable to find this, so I used the (rump) roast that the local butcher usually uses for stew meat. I had the butcher cut steaks off a roast so I could cut bigger chunks than what is normally sold as stew meat.

(I made this a second time with just regular cheap stew meat from the grocery store and it was fine, but not as good. Also, I substituted bacon for the pancetta without any problem.)

Beef Stew with Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients:2 pounds beef from the flatiron part of the shoulder
1 tablespoon butter (could substitute to make CF)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon flour (I used rice flour)
1 bottle of red wine
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
15 cipollini or pearl onions
15 cremini mushrooms
15 baby carrots
5-ounce piece of pancetta (I could only find pre-sliced pancetta)
1/4 cup water
Dash of sugar
Chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

- Buy about 2 pounds of beef from the flatiron part of the shoulder. Remove the skin or sinew from the top. Alternatively, use lean beef chuck in the same manner.
- Cut the meat into 8 pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a cast-iron pot that is attractive enough for the table.
- Arrange the meat in one layer in the pot, and season it with salt and pepper. Cook on top of the stove over high heat for about 8 minutes, browning the meat on all sides.
- Add 1 cup of finely chopped onion and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic.
- Cook over moderate heat for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 1 tablespoon of flour.
- Mix in well so that the flour doesn’t form lumps. Stir in 1 bottle of red wine. Add 2 bay leaves, a sprig of fresh thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir well and cover.
- Place the pot in the oven and continue to cook for about 1 1/2 hours; the meat should be soft and tender and the liquid properly reduced.

(The recipe can be prepared to this point up to a day ahead.)

- Bring the pancetta and 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan and simmer for about 30 minutes; drain. (I skipped this step because I had pre-sliced pancetta and it didn’t seem like it would work well.)
- Cut the pancetta into 1/2-inch slices and then cut the slices into 1-inch-wide lardons. (I just sliced up the pancetta in to small strips.)
- Combine the onions, mushrooms, carrots and pancetta in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 cup of water and a good dash each of sugar, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes; at this point, there should be practically no water left.
- Uncover and cook over high heat, sautéing the vegetables until nicely browned on all sides, about 4 minutes.
To serve, mix some of the vegetables and lardons into the stew and sprinkle the rest on top as a garnish.
- Add a little chopped fresh parsley and serve.