Parker's Beef Stew

Okay, so first things first: I've noticed that people I don't actually know are following my blog.  I can't even begin to describe how exciting that is for me.  I started out doing this thinking it would simply be something for me, learning to cook, keeping up those writing chops.  So thank you to everyone for going through this adventure with me.

My in-laws came over for dinner tonight and I always like to make something a little bit special when we have family and friends over.  Nothing says 'love' like a home-cooked meal, that's for sure.  I was flipping through one of my newer cookbooks, Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics, and noticed a recipe for beef stew.  Though nearly 100 degrees outside, it was just what I was looking for.  1) My husband and his family are big into beef and 2) I mentioned last night after watching Julie & Julia that I wanted to try my hand at Beef Bourguignon.  This is as close as I'm getting to that this early on in my cooking career.

As I read the recipe over last night, I noticed that the meat needs to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.  Well, it was 9 o'clock or so last night and my husband and I had both been drinking so there was no driving to the liquor store to pick up a bottle of the required red wine.  We never have red wine in the house, we're more white wine and/or Mai Tais kind of people.  And if you live in one of the fourteen states that don't allow you to purchase liquor from a liquor store on Sundays, you know how frustrating that can be when a recipe calls for wine and you're fresh out.  Luckily, our grocery store sells non-alcoholic wine, so that just had to do.  I ran and did my shopping at 8 am this morning (another early, but productive morning) so the beef had nearly 8 hours to marinate before I got started cooking.  That pretty much equals 'overnight.'  Winning.

I also had to go to Target today to grab a couple of things.  I hate Target.  My husband says that I throw the word 'hate' around too much, but it's true.  Just thinking of having to go to Target makes my skin crawl and my palms get all sweaty.  I have a tirade I'd like to write out here, but I'm going to save you all from that.  If you want to know why I hate Target, I'd gladly share it with you.  Just ask.  Just be prepared for the wrath that will undoubtedly be unleashed.  You have been warned.  :)

Let's cook!

THE MISSION: It's called Parker's Beef Stew because the recipe belongs to one of Ina Garten's chefs at her restaurant.  If I could cook at one-thousandth of the level that Ina could cook, I'd be happy as pie.  I unfortunately don't have an image of what this recipe is supposed to look like at completion because the cookbook doesn't offer one.  But I think we all have an image in our minds of what a beef stew should look like.  Let's roll with that.

THE INGREDIENTS: 2.5 pounds good-quality chuck beef cut into 1.25-inch cubes, 1 bottle good red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon (Or cheap non-alcoholic red wine if you can't get to a liquor store on a Sunday, lol!), 3 whole garlic cloves smashed, 3 bay leaves, 6 ounces bacon cut into 1-inch pieces, 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, S&P, 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions), good olive oil, 2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves), 1 pound carrots peeled and cut into 1.5-inch chunks, 1 pound small potatoes halved or quartered, 1 14.5-ounce can beef stock, 1 large branch fresh rosemary, 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained and sliced, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce.

There is no meat or wine in this picture because the beef was marinating prior to when this picture was taken.  I apologize.  I think we all know what chunks of beef look like.  And we definitely know what a bottle of wine looks like.  Hey-o!

And before we get started with the actual recipe, know two things: From start to finish, carve out a good three hours to make this stew.  Yes, there are two of those three hours that require no work but just know that it's a good Sunday afternoon kind of meal.  Also, it makes plenty, plenty, plenty.  We ate to our hearts' content and J and I have enough leftovers for lunch for at least the next two days.  I image this will be a go-to meal in the winter time when there's snow up to our windows and we need something warm and comforting.  Soooooo good.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Place the beef in a bowl with the red wine, garlic cloves, and bay leaves.  Cover the bowl and marinate the beef in the refrigerator overnight.

As I mentioned, I was really successful at that whole 'overnight' part.  But the 8 hours during the day it sat in the fridge seemed to do the trick just as well.  The meat turned out tender and flavorful.  So just ensure that you give the meat at least 8 hours, regardless of when it happens.

Brown the bacon in a large saute pan for 5 to 7 minutes, over medium heat.  With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a Dutch oven.  Combine 2 cups of the flour, 1 tablespoon each of S&P in a bowl.  Lift the beef out of the marinade and discard the bay leaves and garlic, saving the marinade.  

It was really cool.  The beef had turned a purple hue and, even raw, was so aromatic.  It actually brought back very vivid memories of visiting my grandfather who used to make his own red wine.  I smiled.

In batches, dredge the beef cubes in the flour mixture and then shake off the excess.  

I need to add an important note here.  Two and a half pounds of beef cubes is a surprisingly large amount of beef cubes.  If I had sat there and dredged a couple of pieces at a time, I'd still be doing that instead of writing to you fine people.  I came up with a short cut.  I put all of the beef in one big bowl, poured the flower mixture on top, tossed it, and used my hands to make sure every piece was sufficiently covered in flour.  It took one minute.

In the same saute pan, brown half the beef over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.  Place the browned beef in the Dutch oven with the bacon and brown the remaining beef.  Add the second batch to the Dutch oven.  

I used a fairly large saute pan to brown the beef and it still took me three batches rather than two.  I used tongs to turn each piece over and make sure all of them were equally browned.  But in all honestly, once two sides had been browned, I just did that little chef trick where you shake the saute pan back and forth and flip everything that way.  I don't know what that technique is called...Anyway, it worked well and saved me time.  Also, I had to add olive oil to the pan between each batch.  The bacon didn't really yield a lot of grease (which is probably a good thing).  So just be aware that you might need to oil the pan once in a while while browning the beef to prevent it from sticking.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Lower the heat under the saute pan to medium-low, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, adding olive oil as necessary.  Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Place all the vegetables in the Dutch oven with the beef.  Add 2.5 cups of the reserved marinade (discard the rest) to the saute pan and cook over high heat to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon.  


Add the beef stock, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 tablespoons pepper.  Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables in the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  

While I was sauteing (PS: Does anyone know how to get that little French thing into words when you're typing?) all of the vegetables I had a little (excuse my French) oh-shit moment thinking that all of it wouldn't fit in my Dutch oven.  As you can see from the picture above, it all worked out.  Phew!


Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 2 hours, until the meat and vegetables are all tender, stirring once during cooking.  If the stew is boiling rather than simmering, lower the heat to 275 degrees.  


I actually did lower the heat to 275 degrees.  Luckily I checked it after about 15 minutes and it was boiling a little too heavily.  Maybe just shoot for 275 instead of risking the health of the inside of your oven.


When the stew is done and the meat is tender, discard the rosemary branch.  Ladle 1 cup of the pan juices into a bowl and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour.  Pour it back into the stew, stir gently, and simmer for 3 minutes, until thickened.  


The stew was already pretty thick when I took it out of the oven at the two-hour mark.  I still whisked in the flour and it when from thick to heavenly.  


MISSION COMPLETE: 

DEBRIEFING: I served the stew with French bread for dipping and those Sweet Onion Au Gratin Potatoes I did a blog post on last week.  Together, separate, however you want to eat it, I can't write enough good things about this stew.


I've made a lot of recipes over the last year and this one was - BY FAR! - the best.  I've never been a beef person.  I've never been a stew person.  This beef stew was one of the best things I've ever eaten.  You take a bite and it's like all of your worries and stresses disappear.  It's like magic.  Wondrous magic. Luckily there's plenty of leftovers to tide me...well...over.

Everyone really seemed to enjoy it and J's parents took some home.  That's always a good sign when your guests ask to take extras home.

I will admit that coupled with the 100-degree weather, the sweat, and the amount of time it took to make the beef stew, I was praying to every Flying Spaghetti Monster that this thing would pan out.  And it did.  And I couldn't be happier.

I think I'm going to warm some up for a snack right now.  Mmmm!

Cheers to good eating~!
Rachel