Sunday, October 05, 2008
minor variants on beef stew
i am explaining how i made a beef stew last night with which i was pleased. it is loosely based on boeuf bourgignonne, but the idea is to implement some techniques usually reserved for italian sauces and reduce the amount of thickener needed by using purées. the result is a stew that is thick and a bit sweet, but not heavy or viscous.
cut a pound of stewing beef (i used shoulder roast) into 1-2" cubes. salt and sprinkle lightly with flour. press flour into the surface.
brown the beef in batches in bacon fat. let the fat be almost smoking it is that hot. a wok or dutch oven is good for this.
remove the beef, reduce the heat to be quite low. make a sofritto of one stalk celery, one large carrot, one large onion. let them cook 20 minutes, caramelizing but not browning.
return the beef, then add water (stock is good if you want it rich) enough to cover. salt lightly and simmer at low heat with the lid off for about 90 minutes, adding more water if necessary.
remove the beef, then purée or mill the liquid remaining in the dutch oven. return the beef and liquid to the pot, add a pound of potatoes cut into chunks the size of the meat, likewise for three large carrots. salt lightly and cook another hour with the lid off, adjusting water when necessary.
add a half pound of whole white mushrooms, ground black pepper and about 3T of baked garlic purée. another fifteen minutes. check for salt and then serve. by itself or with egg noodles.
- posted by Jesse @ 3:22 PM
