Mahogany Beef Stew

evelyn/athens's Note:

You will not believe the deeply satisfying flavour of this stew. This is our favourite wintry stew dish - comfort food to the max. The cooking time is more or less accurate, but it really depends on the cut of meat used - not everyone used chuck, and then, not all chuck is the same! You really have to poke and prod and taste to get it to where you want it...but that's what cooking is all about, isn't it? ;-)

• Total Time: 1 hrs 55 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 1/2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed, cut into 2 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 cups chopped onions
• 2 cups good-quality red wine
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce (this is the critical ingredient, don't leave it out!)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 garlic clove, minced

To Finish

• 1 lb slender carrot, peeled, cut diagonally into 1 inch lengths
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large pot over high heat.
2. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper.
3. Add meat to pot; saut� until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.
4. Push meat to sides of pot.
5. Reduce heat to medium; add 2 tablespoons oil to pot.
6. Add onions; saut� until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
7. Mix meat into onions.
8. Add 1 cup wine, tomatoes with juices, garlic, herbs, hoisin sauce, and bay leaves.
9. Bring to boil.
10. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. Add carrots and 1 cup wine.
12. Cover; simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
13. Uncover, increase heat to high; boil until sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes longer.
14. Reduce heat to medium, add cornstarch mixture and simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
15. Discard bay leaves.
16. Season stew with salt and pepper.
17. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before serving, stirring occasionally.) Transfer stew to large bowl.
18. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
19. Excellent with buttered egg noodles.

Reviews

[~Lauri~]

Absolutely delicious! We followed the recipe exactly to Step #8, using a nice cabernet. At that point, we put the cocotte in the oven at 250 for 3 hours. We then caramelized the carrots over high heat (not fully cooking them through) and set them aside. Everything smelled and looked so good, we also caramelized a package of frozen pearl onions and (separately) about a dozen quartered new potatoes. (Again, just for color, not fully cooked). We added the vegetables, along with the cornstarch slurry, after the meat had cooked slowly for three hours. 20 minutes later, the stew was perfect! The meat and sauce were divine, and the vegetables were just a bit al dente, with a very rustic appearance from the prior caramelization. (Sure beats mushy veggies the same color as the sauce!) When we poured the leftover wine with dinner, we realized the second cup (Step #11) had never made it into the dish. But, with the slow cooking and without that extra liquid, the sauce was the perfect consistency as it was. We ate it as a stew with some corn fritters, but plan to enjoy some of the leftovers over buttered noodles. We'll definitely be making this one again. Delicious!

[FrenchBunny]

This was a terrific stew!! The flavors went so well together, we loved it. I had served it over some garlic mashed potatoes....Yummy!!!! I did do a few changes though. I had dredged the chuck roast pieces in a mixture of flour, dry mustard, salt and pepper and garlic powder. Then browned it in batches and took it out and then caramelized the onions and then put back in the beef and the rest of the ingredients, simmered on stove for about 45 minutes. Then I added in the other ingredients with some peas and popped it in the oven for about 1 hour at 350. There was no need for cornstarch because the beef was coated in flour first, so it was a perfect thickness already. Thanks so much for sharing a wonderful recipe evelyn!!

[Ron Burke]

Amazing! Not overly complicated to make and the results are fantastic. Best Beef Stew I've ever had. I did add celery and potatoes to the recipe (with the carrots) and I also added a half can of beef broth to just "beef" up the flavor a bit. Everyone raved about this recipe. I absolutely will be making this again.