Beef Stew in Red Wine, with Bacon, Onions, and Mushrooms
http://home.ivillage.com/cooking/recipe ... pc,00.html
Ragoût de boeuf dans le vin rouge, avec le lard, les oignons, et les champignons
Make this a day in advance and reheat it at serving time. Terrific depth of flavors. I made a few changes in the beginning sequence.
Serving: 6
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours
A 6-ounce chunk of bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil
3 pounds lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon flour
3 cups of cote-du-rhone, chianti, barbera or inexpensive burgundy
2 to 3 cups brown beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
A crumbled bay leaf
18 to 24 brown-braised onions
1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms sauteed in butter and herbs
Parsley sprigs
1. Remove rind, and cut bacon into lardoons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
3. Saute the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you saute the beef.
4. Coat beef in seasoned flour. 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. Deglaze with 1 cup red wine and reserve wine/brown bits separately.
5. Wipe out pan, add a few tablespoons olive oil and brown the sliced vegetables.
6. Add the reserved wine and the rest of the wine, and 2-3 cups beef stock and bring to a boil.
7 Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and the blanched bacon rind. Bring down to simmer on top of the stove, add the beef and bacon. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
8. While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.
9. When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.
10. 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.
Ahead-of-Time Notes: Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.
For Immediate Serving: Cover the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.
For Later Serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce. Nutrient analysis is approximate since cooks will vary in how much fat is skimmed.