Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce

Have you ever eaten at a restaurant that says 'Dish of the Day' but it's not stated in the menu? I thought it would be interesting to find out what the chef would present to their customers as Dish of the Day.

 

For me, I was just into a one-pot meal where it can make one happy and very satisfied with all the flavours of the dish in it. I decided to go for Jacques Pepin's Beef Stew in Red Wine sauce from Chez Jacques: Traditions and Rituals of a Cook.

 

Ingredients: 

2 pounds beef, either flatiron or chuck (cut into cubes)

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 cup onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon flour

1 bottle red wine (750ml)

2 bay leaves

1 nice branch fresh thyme

For garnishing 

12 to 15 small-to-medium cipollini or pearl onions, peeled

12 to 15 small-to-medium cremini (Baby Bella) mushrooms, washed

12 to 15 baby carrots, peeled

1 piece pancetta, about 5 ounces (I used back bacon instead of pancetta)

2 cups water plus ¼ cup water

1 tablespoon olive oil

A dash each of sugar, salt, and pepper

Fresh parsley

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, melt the butter in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the meat in the casserole in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 8 minutes.
3. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 5 minutes.
4. Add the flour and stir to coat the meat with it. Add the wine, bay leaves and thyme, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
5. Cover the casserole and transfer it to the oven. Cook the stew for 1.5 hours, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is flavourful.
6. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cover the pancetta back bacon with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain the pancetta back bacon and slice it 1/2 inch thick, then cut the slices into 1-inch-wide lardons.
7. In a large skillet, combine the pancetta back bacon, pearl onions, mushrooms and carrots. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 cup of water and a large pinch each of sugar, salt and pepper.
8. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until almost all of the water has evaporated, 15 minutes. Uncover and cook over high heat, tossing, until the vegetables are tender and nicely browned, about 4 minutes.
9. To serve, stir some of the vegetables and lardons into the stew and scatter the rest on top as a garnish. Top with a little chopped parsley and serve.

I love how this one pot dish looks. It is perfect for a cold and windy day. Mr G didn't quite like the taste of this beef stew given its strong red wine flavour. Yeah you probably guessed it. He's a beer lover Haha!! But everything on his bowl was emptied :)

 

 

I'm submitting this post to I Heart Cooking Clubs - Le Plat Du Jour.