Category: Savory Dishes

Ingredients

• 5 pounds beef chuck, cut into medium-large cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound pancetta, diced
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 5 large shallots, finely diced
• 3 large carrots, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 bottle dry red wine (Pinot Noir or Burgundy)
• 4 cups beef or veal stock
• 1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, 3 sprigs Italian parsley)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
• 5-7 small to medium Cippolini onions, quartered
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced (White button or Cremini)
• Flat leaf Italian Parsley, minced, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place beef in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and season with a couple teaspoons of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Heat a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat for several minutes to get it hot.
4. Add pancetta and cook until crispy and browned, drain on paper towels and set aside.
5. Increase the heat to high and add the beef in to the pot in a single layer and brown on all sides, turning with tongs (be careful not to crowd or overfill the pot as you will need to cook beef in batches to get a nice browning).
6. Place the browned beef back on to the baking sheet and set aside.
7. Add the oil and diced shallots and carrots to the Dutch oven and cook for a few minutes. Lower the heat to medium-high and continue to saute until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
8. Add the brandy and flambe (light it in the pan with a long lighter or match) and let the flames keep going for as long as possible, until they go out to burn off alcohol.
9. Reduce heat to medium, add flour and stir together with the vegetables for a few minutes to make a roux base for the stew.
10. Next deglaze the pan by pouring in the red wine, a little bit at a time, stirring well to incorporate and remove any lumps, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan (these babies are full of flavor!)
11. Add 3 3/4 cups of the stock, browned meat and bouquet garni and bring to a boil over high heat.
12. Remove pot from the heat, cover and cook the stew in the oven for 2 hours, until meat is fork tender. (The meat should shred/fall apart easily when you pierce it with a fork - if not, place it back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes).
13. While stew is cooking, caramelize the onions in a medium saute pan with 1 tablespoon of butter and salt and pepper, until the onions are lightly browned.
14. Add the remaining 1/4 cup stock and cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and glazed and liquid is evaporated.
15. Transfer onions to a bowl and set aside.
16. In the same pan, turn the heat up to high. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, the mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste, sear over high heat until mushrooms are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and mix into the caramelized onions, set aside.
17. Remove the stew from the oven and gently stir in cooked pancetta, mushrooms and onions. Adjust seasonings (salt and pepper to taste).
18. Serve the stew in bowls with a sprinkling of fresh parsley over mashed potatoes, polenta or egg noodles, with a glass of red and crusty bread to mop up the sauce of course!

Notes