Beef Stew with Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

2 pounds beef from the flatiron part of the shoulder
1 tablespoon butter (could substitute to make CF)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon flour (I used rice flour)
1 bottle of red wine
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
15 cipollini or pearl onions
15 cremini mushrooms
15 baby carrots
5-ounce piece of pancetta (I could only find pre-sliced pancetta)
1/4 cup water
Dash of sugar
Chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

- Buy about 2 pounds of beef from the flatiron part of the shoulder. Remove the skin or sinew from the top. Alternatively, use lean beef chuck in the same manner.
- Cut the meat into 8 pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a cast-iron pot that is attractive enough for the table.
- Arrange the meat in one layer in the pot, and season it with salt and pepper. Cook on top of the stove over high heat for about 8 minutes, browning the meat on all sides.
- Add 1 cup of finely chopped onion and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic.
- Cook over moderate heat for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 1 tablespoon of flour.
- Mix in well so that the flour doesn’t form lumps. Stir in 1 bottle of red wine. Add 2 bay leaves, a sprig of fresh thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir well and cover.
- Place the pot in the oven and continue to cook for about 1 1/2 hours; the meat should be soft and tender and the liquid properly reduced.

(The recipe can be prepared to this point up to a day ahead.)

- Bring the pancetta and 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan and simmer for about 30 minutes; drain. (I skipped this step because I had pre-sliced pancetta and it didn’t seem like it would work well.)
- Cut the pancetta into 1/2-inch slices and then cut the slices into 1-inch-wide lardons. (I just sliced up the pancetta in to small strips.)
- Combine the onions, mushrooms, carrots and pancetta in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 cup of water and a good dash each of sugar, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes; at this point, there should be practically no water left.
- Uncover and cook over high heat, sautéing the vegetables until nicely browned on all sides, about 4 minutes.
To serve, mix some of the vegetables and lardons into the stew and sprinkle the rest on top as a garnish.
- Add a little chopped fresh parsley and serve.

From Gluten-Free Sox Fan blog.

Basic Beef Stew with Carrots and Mushrooms

A crowd-pleaser, this recipe is justifiably a classic. Purchase precut lean stew beef, or cut lean beef sirloin or chuck into bite-sized pieces. White potatoes, not to be confused with baking potatoes, are waxy in texture and hold up well in soups and stews; you can substitute red potatoes. Halve any mushrooms that are larger than 1 1/2 inches.

Yield 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 1 pound small cremini mushrooms
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 (14-ounce) cans less-sodium beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled white potato (about 1 pound)
• 1 1/2 cups (1-inch) slices carrot (about 12 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, and sauté for 5 minutes or until mushrooms begin to brown. Spoon mushrooms into a large bowl. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 10 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add onion mixture to mushroom mixture.

Place flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge beef in flour, shaking off excess. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add half of beef mixture; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Add browned beef to mushroom mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining beef mixture and 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Add 1 cup wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add thyme, broth, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Stir in beef mixture. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 hour or until beef is just tender.

Stir in potato and carrot. Simmer, uncovered, 1 hour and 15 minutes or until beef and vegetables are very tender and sauce is thick, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 303 (29% from fat)

Fat: 9.8g (sat 3.2g,mono 4.7g,poly 0.6g)

Protein: 26.4g

Carbohydrate: 26.8g

Fiber: 2.3g

Cholesterol: 71mg

Iron: 3.9mg

Sodium: 494mg

Calcium: 54mg

Jeanne Kelley, Cooking Light, JANUARY 2006