This hearty dish is a winter favorite. It incorporates all of the comfort food flavors and is a perfect meal for the upcoming holiday season.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast, cut into
- 2-inch pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ lb. pancetta, diced
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (750 ml) bottle full-bodied dry red wine
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 bouquet garni*
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 16 peeled pearl onions
- 8 cremini mushrooms, sliced
Directions
Heat oven to 325°F. Pat beef dry and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef in a single layer and cook until well-browned on all sides, working in batches if necessary. Remove to a plate. Add pancetta and cook, stirring often, until browned and crisp, and remove the plate with the beef.
Add onion and carrot, stirring often, until soft and browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add wine, scraping up all browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add beef broth and tomato paste, stirring to combine. Return beef and pancetta to the pot with the bouquet garni. Taste sauce and season lightly with salt and pepper if needed (it may not, depending on saltiness of the beef broth).
Bring pot to a boil, then cover and place on the center rack of the oven to braise for 2 hours. After 2 hours, make a beurre manié by combining the butter and flour with a fork to a uniform paste, then stir this into the pot until it melts into the sauce. Stir in the pearl onions and mushrooms carefully, so they don’t break apart.
Place the pot, uncovered, back in the oven to finish cooking for another 30 minutes. The stew is done when the mixture has thickened and the beef pieces shred easily with a fork. Remove bouquet garni and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Cover and let sit for 5–10 minutes before serving. Serve with mixed vegetables, or over egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired. Serves 6.
*How to Make Bouquet Garni
Tie together 2 bay leaves, 4 sprigs fresh thyme and 6 sprigs parsley securely with kitchen twine.
