Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce

"For many Americans, the quintessential French stew is boeuf bourguignonne or beef Burgundy, beef cooked in Burgundy red wine (although it is often made with other wines instead of real Burgundy). In my aunt’s and my mother’s restaurants, the stew was featured regularly and was made from the tougher, cheaper, fattier cuts of beef, which had to be braised a long time to get tender and stay moist. In classic restaurants, chuck was often used. The beef was browned and the juices deglazed with red wine and brown stock or reduced brown stock (demi-glace), and the stew was finished with lardons (browned pieces of diced bacon), mushrooms, and tiny boiled onions. For my beef stew, I like to use a special piece of the shoulder called a flatiron, sometimes called a chicken steak, blade steak, or underblade steak. This long, narrow piece from the center of the shoulder is extremely lean and has gelatinous sinew in the center. It is excellent sautéed or grilled for steak. The meat is very tender and moist, and it makes an ideal stew. This stew is also very good made with chuck, which is the continuation of the rib eye into the shoulder. Instead of cutting the meat into small cubes, I cut it into large chunks, serving a couple of pieces per person. I do not use stock, demiglace, or even water. I make my stew strictly with red wine, and my preference goes toward a fairly robust, heavy wine in the style of the southern part of the Rhône Valley, like a Carignan, or an Australian or American wine, like a Syrah or Zinfandel. After I brown the meat on top of the stove, I add the liquid and finish it up in the oven for about 1½ hours, so it cooks equally all around. It is best made and served in a beautiful cast-iron pan. For the garnish, I use small, round, flat cipollini onions, flavorful but expensive; whole mushrooms, like small creminis; lardons made with pancetta; and baby carrots, which are not conventionally part of beef Burgundy. This rich winey beef stew is always a hit with my chef friends."

Cooking MethodBraising, Sauteeing

CostModerate

Kid FriendlyYes

One Pot MealYes

OccasionCasual Dinner Party

Recipe CourseMain Course

Dietary ConsiderationEgg-free, Low Carb, Peanut Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free

MealDinner

MoodBlue

Taste and TextureMeaty, Savory, Winey