A Stew for a January Night

With temperatures in the mid-teens yesterday, I decided that it was an ideal night for a delicious, hearty stew. After looking at three recipes from three good cookbooks, and being quite unhappy with each, I decided that I was just going to make it myself, without the assistance of a recipe. When I'm feeling confident in the kitchen, I love to cook without a recipe, just using the techniques I learned over the years and hoping for the best. Sometimes, disaster strikes and I end up ordering a pizza. Other times, I create something new, unique, and tasty. The stew I made last night was - dare I say it? - perfect! ...for my palate, at least. We served it in soup bowls with some good crusty bread and a hearty spinach salad with apples, cucumbers, bacon, and hard boiled eggs, tossed with a roasted garlic vinaigrette that Rob made. The stew was simple, but the flavors were bright and full, as they should be. It was hearty without being too rich or greasy. I decided I had to write a recipe for it, and I thought I would share it with you. Feel free to add or change it to fit your tastes. Bon appetit!

A Stew for a January Night
By Francis Xavier Lilly

• ⅓ cup flour
• 1½ pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1½ - to 2-inch cubes
• ¼ to ½ cup olive oil, butter, bacon drippings, or any combination thereof
• ½ cup full-bodied red wine, such as a burgundy, pinot noir, or merlot
• Approximately 4 cups low-sodium beef stock (1 32-ounce container)
• Approximately 3½ cups pureed tomatoes (1 28-ounce container)
• 1½ pounds fingerling potatoes
• 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered, or ½ pound pearl onions, peeled
• 4 medium carrots, peeled, halved, and cut into 1-inch sticks
• 4 celery stalks, halved and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Kosher salt
• Freshly-ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously season ⅓ cup of flour with salt and pepper. Pour the flour mixture in a large plastic zip top bag. Place the cubed meat into the bag, and shake and squeeze until all the meat is lightly covered in flour. Place a large-volume oven-safe stock pot or Dutch oven on the stove and turn on the heat to medium high. Add the oil to the pot. When the oil is hot, add the meat to the pot, in batches if necessary so as not to crowd the pan. Sauté the meat until is it a deep golden brown on all sides, and transfer to a plate and set aside. Add more oil between batches if necessary.

Pour the fat out of the pot. Pour in the wine and simmer it for a few minutes while loosening the fond from the bottom and sides of the pot with a wooden spoon. Allow the wine to reduce by about a third before adding the beef stock and the pureed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Add the meat and any juices that collected on the plate. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the potatoes, onions, carrots, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover the pot, and place the pot in the oven.

Cook the stew in the oven for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the stew and add salt or pepper as desired. Add the celery. Continue cooking for another half hour or until the meat and potatoes are fork tender. If any fat has pooled on top of the stew, remove it with a spoon or ladle. Taste and season again. Remove the thyme stalks and the bay leaves. Serve with some good bread and a hearty salad.

Serves six.

Cook's Notes

• I use an enameled, cast iron Dutch oven, and it does a beautiful job of cooking this stew. The advantage of bringing the stew to a simmer on the stovetop and then placing it in a hot oven is that it will better aid in the even distribution of heat throughout the dish. A good Dutch oven will also make for even heat distribution.
• Bacon drippings? Absolutely! It's a staple fat in French cooking, and for good reason: it provides an intensity of flavor that is unmatched.
  
• The wine is a personal thing. If you want to add more wine, add more, substituting the wine for the stock. You can also do what some French chefs do when they make a Boeuf Bourguignonne - marinate the meat overnight in the wine.
• If you don't like wine, you can substitute it for a nice, flavorful vinegar, such as balsamic, sherry, or apple cider vinegar. You could also use beer.
• Consider using pork, lamb, boar, or venison as an alternative to beef.
• Use a quality stock. I prefer the Kitchen Basics brand.
  
• The same goes for the tomatoes. If you can get your hands on some imported Italian tomatoes, all the better. The pureed tomatoes will thicken the stew nicely.
  
• Fingerling potatoes are lightly sweet and possess a nice, creamy texture when cooked. They are a delicious addition to a stew.
  
• I added the celery stalks later, because I like the celery to be a bit crisp and to maintain its fragrant taste. You can also add other vegetables, such as fresh green beans or peas. Add these vegetables in the last few minutes of cooking.