The Coming of Winter... and Clbuttic Braised Beef Dishes 7660

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I ALWAYS use a Chianti for this wonderful dish. It was one of the first Julia Child recipes I ever made (over 25 years ago) and is still a favorite! It is an awesome dish. Ya gotta remember to not leave anything out, especially the bacon!! (You can subsbreastute 3 oz. regular bacon for the chunk bacon).

I've tried using a burgundy in the beginning - it may have been my choice of wine, but the dish came out rather 'dry' tasting (although moist). So next time I tried Chianti, and the results were incredible! Guests always remark about the amazing smells wafting from my oven when I make this for company. I now get REQUESTS for this dish! And it's not that difficult to make.

The only other variances I've made is to use chuck roast (and not the lean cuts she lists), and I sometimes (OK, always) marinate the beef chunks the night before in the wine & some carrots & onions & garlic (ok, also bay leaf & thyme, s & p).

The drying & browning are also important steps.

If you want to cook a dish that is melt-in-your-mouth beefy goodness, and will make guests know something good is cooking the moment they arrive, this is it.

OK, enough praise? Here ya go:

For 6 people

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Ingredients:

a 6-ounce chunk of bacon a 9 to 10 inch fireproof cbutterole 3 inches deep 1 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil a slotted spoon 3 lbs. lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes 1 sliced carrot 1 sliced onion 1 tsp salt 1-4 tsp pepper 2 Tbsp flour 3 cups of a full-bodied, young red wine such as one of those suggested for serving, or a Chianti 2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon 1 Tbsp tomato paste 2 cloves mashed garlic 1-2 tsp thyme a crumbled bay leaf the blanched bacon rind 18 to 24 small white onions, brown-braised in stock 1 lb. quartered fresh mushrooms sautŽed in butter parsley sprigs

Instructions:

Remove rind, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, inch thick and 1-2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1-2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

SautŽ the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set cbutterole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sautŽ the beef.

Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. SautŽ it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautŽing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the cbutterole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set cbutterole uncovered in middle position of pre-heated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove cbutterole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the cbutterole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1-2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the cbutterole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the cbutterole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1-2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.

('*) Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

For Immediate Serving: Cover the cbutterole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its cbutterole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.

For Later Serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Mmmmmm,

Van