Beef Stew to Soothe

Friday, February 29, 2008

As I was getting ready to head out into the cold winter air a few mornings ago, a noise from outside forced me to pause in the middle of what I was doing. Songbirds. Since the Winter Solstice in December, the shift of the daylight hours has been growing more perceptible each week, but to me there is no surer sign that spring is coming than the return of the songbird’s twitter outside my window or the sigh of a mourning dove as I walk to catch my train.

In Reading Terminal Market, the Chilean grapes, nectarines, peaches and plums are piled high in seductive, if stony, pyramids. Their presence is a reminder that just as the spring thaw has yet to reach Philadelphia, it must be high summer in some other part of the world. As tempting as they are, I know that their beauty is only skin deep and I pass them over with few exceptions, reminding myself that spring strawberries are but a few months away. Bracing myself against the lingering winter chill, my walk home makes me feel decidedly less optimistic that I will find signs of the new season around the corner.  Until I can wholeheartedly announce the arrival of Spring and her flowers, lettuces, and eventual asparagus, I will content myself and warm my kitchen with cold weather fare. Banishing the chill that seeps in at the edges of the poorly-sealed windows in our West Philly rental is this recipe for beef stew. Originally printed in Maxim “a mindless, but funny magazine for mindless, but funny, guys” and gradually tweaked and adapted by my father, this stew is remarkably good. The recipe dictates to braise the beef and roast the vegetables separately from one another, a vital cue that allows the vegetables to retain their textural integrity and even concentrates their flavor. Served over egg noodles, it is enough to satisfy if not the eternal longing for spring, than at least the more momentary longing for supper.

Rod Teel’s “Pot of Gold” Beef Stew
Adapted from Maxim magazine
This recipe is somewhat time and labor intensive so it’s not ideally suited to a weeknight supper. It does reheat beautifully however, so make a batch over the weekend and you’ll be able to enjoy more than a few weeknight suppers from it.

3 Tb. Canola or olive oil
1 cup flour
2 ½ cups beef chuck, cubed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small shallot or red onion, finely chopped
2 cups dry red wine
2 cups good beef stock
1 handful parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper
spice rub (mix 1 teaspoon each granulated garlic, paprika, cayenne, salt, oregano, thyme, you will have some leftover)

2 cups carrots, cubed
1 cup parsnips, cubed
4 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
3 large potatoes, cubed
1 ½ cups onions, diced
1 cup onion, large wedges
3 slices bacon, small dice
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
2 Tb. Butter
1 Lb. cremini or button mushrooms, quartered
¼ cup heavy cream
2 Tb. Flour

1. Preheat oven to 325º.
2. Heat oil in a Dutch Oven over moderate heat. Season 1 cup of flour with salt, pepper and 1 Tb. of spice rub. Season beef with salt, pepper, and spice rub. Dredge beef cubes in seasoned flour and brown on all sides in hot oil. Be careful not to overcrowd the oil or the meat will steam. Work in batches removing meat to a plate. When all meat is browned, add minced garlic, shallot and cook for a minute. Add meat back and pour over stock, wine, parsley and bay leaf. Cover and bake for two hours.
3. Once beef is in the oven, combine carrots, parsnip, potatoes, onion wedges and garlic chunks in a shallow roasting pan or baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper and spice rub and drizzle over a tablespoon of olive oil. Mix and spread out. Roast alongside the meat, uncovered, for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until tender. Remove when tender if beef is not yet finished.
4. Sauté bacon in a dry skillet until fat is rendered. Remove and set aside. Sauté diced onions in bacon fat until soft. Mix in tomato paste and bacon and cook, stirring for a minute.
5. Half-an-hour before the beef is due to be finished, stir in the bacon mixture, re-cover and roast for the remaining time.
6. Melt 1 Tb. butter in a large skillet (same one as the bacon is fine), and sauté the mushrooms over medium heat, seasoning them with salt and pepper until browned. Remove from skillet and set aside.
7. Add other Tb. butter to skillet and melt, sprinkling 2 Tb. flour over to make a light roux. Cook flour in butter, stirring, until it has turned a light caramel color. Add cream and ¾ liquid from the beef pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, to make a thickened sauce.
8. Mix sauce, beef, roasted vegetables, and mushrooms into Dutch Oven to combine. Serve with egg noodles and additional fresh parsley, if you like.