International Recipes
French Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef (chuck, rump or brisket), trimmed, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 4 cups red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 ounces thick bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- Salt and pepper
- 12 small pearl onions
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 12 mushrooms, quartered
- 2 tablespoons soft butter mixed with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine beef chunks, wine, bay leaf, cloves, onion and garlic. Toss together to coat meat, cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours.
- In a large heavy pot, melt butter and cook off bacon until just crispy and set aside to drain.
- Scoop beef from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Toss in a bowl with flour to coat. Shake off excess flour. Add the floured beef to the pot and cook until nicely browned.
- Stir in the onion and garlic from the marinade, as well as the thyme, stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.
- Peel the pearl onions and trim off a little bit of the root end.
- Melt butter in a small skillet and add pearl onions. Toss to coat and pour in 1/4 cup of water and cover. Simmer until tender. Uncover and allow liquid to evaporate.
- Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon sugar and shake pan over medium heat until onions begin to brown and
caramelize.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- In another skillet melt 3 tablespoons butter and cook mushrooms until golden brown.
- Stir in crispy bacon bits and season with salt and pepper.
- When the beef is tender, remove meat with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Simmer sauce until thickened and stir in flour/butter mixture to help thicken.
- Season sauce to taste.
- Return beef to pot and bring stew to a boil.
- Serve hot with boiled potatoes, pearl onions, mushrooms and garnish with chopped parsley.
Attribution
Posted by liz at Recipe Goldmine April 29, 2001.