If boeuf bourguignon and my mom's beef stew had a baby, this would be their love child. This super hearty stew invokes the spirit of traditional boeuf bourguignon, using bacon grease for cooking the meat and vegetables, along with generous amounts of red wine. Potatoes replace the mushrooms from the original French dish, and shallots and green peas are included for added richness and color.
This stew is the perfect antidote for a long rainy weekend... or a tough day at the office.
Ingredients:
Stewing beef, 2 lbs, cut into 2 inch cubes
Salt, 1.5 tsp, plus more to taste
Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
Bacon grease, 3 Tbs, divided
Red wine, 2 cups, divided
Yellow onion, 1 large, diced
Shallot, 1 large, diced
Carrots, 3 medium, roll cut
Celery, 3 stalks, cut in 1" diagonal pieces
Garlic, 2 cloves, minced
Tomato paste, 2 Tbs
Chicken broth, 2 cups
Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp
Yukon gold potatoes, 5 medium, cut into 1 inch cubes
Bay leaf, 1
Fresh thyme, 4 sprigs
Green peas, 0.5 cup, fresh or frozen
Preparations:
Pat beef dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 Tbs bacon grease in a large skillet on medium high heat. When you see faint wisps of smoke, add meat to pan in a single layer, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Brown meat on all sides, searing in batches.
After browning, transfer meat to slow cooker.
Deglaze pan with red wine, scraping all the brown bits off the bottom. Pour the wine deglaze mixture over the browned meat.
Add 1 Tbs bacon grease to pan, sweat onions, shallots, carrots and celery with 1/4 tsp salt on medium low heat, until onions and shallots are translucent and carrots and celery begin to soften. Stir frequently to prevent onions from browning. About 15 minutes.
Stir in garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant.
Pour vegetable mixture into slow cooker and stir together with the meat.
Deglaze pan with red wine and pour resulting liquid over meat and vegetables.
Add 1 tsp salt, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and potatoes to the slow cooker and stir. Add the bay leaf and thyme into the mixture, submerging it under the liquid.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stirring occasionally.
Stir in peas 20 minutes before serving. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Required Cookware:
large skillet
slow cooker (can also use a large heavy bottomed stock pot)
Notes:
If you do not have a crock-pot feel free to use a large (minimum 6 qt.) heavy bottomed stock pot, and be sure to keep an eye on the stew and give it a stir every 30 minutes or so for 6-8 hrs.
For maximum enjoyment serve with Firebrand sourdough bread.
Source:
An original recipe by Katie Ravnik, inspired by my mom's beef stew and the classic french dish boeuf bourguignon.
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