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French Beef Stew

Source of Recipe

From "The Happy Cookbook" by Kathy Doocy and Steve Doocy


Recipe Introduction

"In our town, whenever a new baby arrived or a friend was hospitalized, a group of Kathy's mom friends would organize a friendship basket to help the family eat a good home-cooked meal while they were getting back to normal. She would load up a picnic basket with a bottle of wine, a loaf of bread, a green salad, and either this beef stew or the recipe for Bobby's Goulash, which Kathy loved, from a Paula Deen cookbook. We were trying to remember where we first had this dish, and our best guess is the World Showcase of restaurants at Walt Disney World. They made something like this at Chefs de France, and it was such a wonderful night of fun with the kids that we tried to replicate the taste...and it's pretty close. Actually we're always looking for an excuse to cook with red wine, and a new baby down the block seems like as good a reason as any."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ 6 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 4-pound chuck roast, cut into 1 ½-inch chunks
â—¦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 6 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
â—¦ 2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
â—¦ 3 cups dry red wine
â—¦ â…› teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
â—¦ One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (we prefer San Marzano)
â—¦ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
â—¦ 2 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch chunks
â—¦ 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
â—¦ 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and halved
â—¦ 2 cups beef stock
â—¦ Mashed potatoes, for serving


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 325° F.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add one-third of the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then stir and add the beef. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper and brown the meat on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the beef to a Dutch oven.

Add the carrots and onions to the skillet and sauté until browned and softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add them to the Dutch oven with the beef.

To the Dutch oven, add the wine, remaining garlic, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste), and 1 teaspoon pepper and give a good stir. Add the tomatoes and paste, celery, rosemary, mushrooms, and stock. Mix well.

Cover and braise in the oven until the meat is tender, about 2 ½ hours. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Makes 6 servings