A few weeks ago I
posted my recipe for canning beef stew, but I realize many of you do
not have the option or equipment to can your own stew. So I wanted to
post for you my 'go to' beef stew recipe that I make in my trusty
enamel ware cast iron dutch oven. Last week, I canned the last of our roast,
and I have been waiting until we could find a good roast on sale before
tackling this recipe. Fortunately, last week when we were looking at
the comp ads we were able to find chuck roast on sale for $2.69/lb,
regular price $5.69/lb that was 53% savings so off we went to Walmart
for our bi-weekly shopping spree and we bought three roasts.
Trained
in the French style of cooking, my beef stew recipe is based on the
tried and true 'Beef Bourguignon' a classical French beef stew made
with just a few ingredients. A true beef
bourguignon is made primarily with, bacon, beef, carrots, baby
onions, and mushrooms in a brown stock with red wine. I have made
this dish countless number of times, but I take a more traditional
American approach. That is to say, I use white or yellow onions diced
and slightly caramelized instead of whole baby onions, and I add potatoes, and generally a few
other vegetables depending on what I have in the refrigerator. I also
usually omit the red wine, not because I do not like the flavor, but
my wife does not care for beef stew made with red wine.
I use a dried
shitake mushroom in my soups and stews for two primary reasons. The
first being that they last forever because they are dried making them
a pantry staple at our house. The second reason is that when
re-hydrated they have good flavor and a nice firm texture that I
enjoy. I purchase mine dried in large bags from the Asian market. Any
type of mushrooms will work in this recipe, the most common type you
will find here in the states at your local grocery store are button
mushrooms. If you want the mushrooms to have more body or texture in
the stew the quarter them or leave them whole otherwise slice or dice
them however you wish.
The Recipe
The beef in this
recipe is mixed with flour after browning and then heated in the over
for a total of 8 minutes to help made a light roux that will add both
flavor and some body to the stew while it cooks. It is an extra step
that you might think to skip, but I assure you it definitely makes a
difference in both the flavor and texture of the stew. This step also
eliminates having to add a thickener later after the stew has cooked. While it may seem like there are a lot of
steps, this recipe is really easy and it is minimalist pantry
friendly.
Beef Bourguignon
(Beef Stew)
2 - 3 lbs beef (cut
into 2-inch cubes)
6 slices bacon
(optional)
4 cups of water
4 dried shitake
mushrooms (re-hydrated in one cup of hot water)
2 cloves garlic,
minced
2 Yukon gold or red
new potatoes
2 carrots, sliced
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon beef
bouillon
1 tablespoon tomato
paste
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon thyme
leaves, dried
½ teaspoon black
pepper
Preheat oven to 450
degrees.
Trim the roast and
cut into 2-inch cubes. Pat dry and place on a plate until ready to
brown. Place the dried shitake mushrooms in 1 cup of boiling water to
re-hydrate. I use a small 'Hot Shot' to heat up the water, but you
could use your microwave to heat the water.
Sauté bacon in your
casserole dish until crispy, then remove to a plate lined with paper
towels with a slotted spoon. While the bacon is draining, add your
cubed beef to the casserole dish a little at a time and sauté until
nicely browned on all sides. Remove the browned beef to a plate until
all of it has been browned. While you are browning the beef, coarsely
chop up the bacon as we are going to add it back to the casserole
dish later.
Once all the beef
has been browned and has been removed from the casserole dish, add
the carrots and onions and saute until the onions are slightly
browned and remove them from the casserole dish and set aside in a
bowl or small plate.
Add the bacon,
browned beef and any juices on the plate, salt, pepper and flour to
the casserole dish and mix throughly. Place the casserole dish
uncovered in your 450 degree heated oven for 4 minutes, then remove
and stir the beef mixture and return to the oven to cook for 4 more
minutes (a total of 8 minutes). While the beef is in the oven remove the mushrooms from the
cup of water (save the water to add to the stew) and cut them into
small pieces.
Remove the casserole
dish from the oven and place on the stove. Reduce the heat in the
oven to 325 degrees and add the remaining ingredients except the
potatoes to the casserole dish and bring to boil. Once the stew has
reached a boil, remove from the burner and place in the oven and cook
for 2 hours at 325 degrees.
Chef's Note: At
this point add any additional vegetables you would like. I sometimes
add a drained can of corn or green beans, it just sort of depends on
my mood, or what I have leftover in the refrigerator.
After the stew has
cooked for two hours, remove the casserole dish from the oven and
check the doneness of the meat. It should be tender and easily cut
with a fork, the cooking time my vary slightly depending on the
quality of the meat used. Cheaper cuts of beef may take longer, but
generally 2 hours is sufficient to give you a nice tender texture. At
this point add your potatoes and place the casserole dish back in the
oven and cook for 30 minutes.
Chef's Note:
Potatoes can be divided into two specific kinds boiling (Yukon Gold,
New Red Potatoes, etc…) and baking potatoes (Russet). As their name
implies boiling potatoes stay more firm when boiled as they have less
starch in them are the preferred potato for for soups and stews.
Baking potatoes have a higher starch content and are best for baking
and making French fries, hash browns, and tator tots. Because of
their high starch content they do not hold their shape or texture as well when
boiled or stewed for more than 30 to 45 minutes. For this recipe I
actually used russet potatoes as that was all I had, and cooking them
for only 30 minutes keeps them from breaking down into the sauce and
still gives them a slightly firm texture. Use the potatoes you have,
just be aware of their limitations.
Conclusion
As I mentioned
earlier, this is my go to beef stew recipe and it is really easy to
make and it is minimalist pantry friendly. The great thing about
stews is you can add any ingredients you like as long as you start
out with a good base. That is the greatness about beef bourguignon is
that even if you distill it down to the minimal ingredients of beef,
onions, carrots, and brown stock you have essentially a blank canvas
for a number of stew variations. Remember, this is your recipe, add
what you and your family like and you will have a wonderful meal that
all will enjoy. And if you can find and comp a chuck roast or
comparable roast for like we did that is even better!
I believe the red
wine adds both body and character to your stew, and if you have any
on your shelf or in the fridge try using some. My choice would be a
good burgundy, but any red wine will work for this stew. My only
caveat would be that if you would not drink the red wine alone, then
do not add it to your stew. If it is not good enough to drink, then
it is not good enough to cook with. If using 2 lbs of meat then
substitute 1 cup red wine for one cup of the water or both (if using powdered bouillon adjust accordingly), if using 3 lbs of meat,
simply add the cup of red wine to the stew with the water.
I especially
like to add a red wine if using venison in place of the beef when
making this stew. I mention this as deer season is upon us, I know
there are many of you will will be making venison stew this winter
and red wine really brings out the character of the wild game. So I hope all your deer hunters will give this recipe a try the next time you make venison stew.
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