Proper beef stew, finally.

Last week, for the first time in my entire life, I made a beef stew correctly.

I owe this, like so many of my recent culinary successes, to the people who produce Cook's Illustrated, which has to be the best cooking magazine that has ever existed.  Most of the recipes are tested dozens of times with many different minor variations, all trying to come up with the perfect version --- the tastiest, the easiest, the least error-prone --- of some dish.  Many of them are new takeoffs on old classics, remade for the modern kitchen or using easier-to-find ingredients.  It's also got equipment reviews and ingredient taste-test results and kitchen tips.   Oh, and it's beautiful. 

Mark got me a subscription for Christmas a couple of years ago, and I have already informed him that he must keep it coming every year, or I will go on strike.  At least in the kitchen.

So what's with the beef stew?  What have I been doing wrong all this time?  The short answer:  Not baking it in the oven.   Every beef stew I have ever made in my entire life, up till last week, was made either on the stove top or in the Crock-Pot brand slow-cooker.   I had no idea, none at all, that these are inferior stew-making techniques, at least if your stew is thickened with flour or some other kind of starch.

According to Sarah Wilson, the author of  "Beef Stew, Provencal Style" (November and December 2005):

Why do we prefer [cooking the stew in the oven] to a stovetop simmer?... At moderate temperatures, the flour in a braising liquid gradually absorbs water, thus thickening the sauce.  If the liquid gets too hot, however, the starch breaks down and loses its thickening properties, resulting in a thinner sauce.  Because stovetop cooking heats from the bottom only, the flour closest to the heat source loses its thickening ability.

A Crock-Pot provides more even heating than the stove, but I think there must still be some hot spots in it, because the stew I produced from Wilson's recipe was silky, thick, and luscious, better than any I'd ever made.   I am now determined to tinker with every standard American stew recipe I've ever made, trying out the new technique.  The key sequence appears to be (1) browning 2-inch cubes of meat, (2) browning the aromatic vegetables in the beef drippings, (3) stirring in flour and browning it slightly, (4) adding all the liquid and other seasonings and then baking, covered and undisturbed, at 325 F for 3 hours.

The beef stew recipe, roughly:

• 3/4 oz       dried porcini mushrooms (I used shiitake), rehydrated in hot tap water
• 1                  boneless beef chuck eye roast (I used plain chuck), 3.5 lb, in 2-inch cubes
• 1.5 tsp       salt
• 1     tsp       ground black pepper
• 4 Tbsp      olive oil
• 5 oz            salt pork, rind removed
• 4                  large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 med        onions, sliced
• 4                  garlic cloves (I used 6, of course)
• 2 Tbsp      tomato paste
• 1/3 c          all purpose flour
• 1                  bottle bold red wine (I used a Cabernet/Shiraz blend)
• 1 c              chicken broth (I used homemade stock from my freezer)
• 1 c              water (I used more chicken broth instead)
• 4                 3-inch strips zest from an orange, cut into thin strips
• 1 c              pitted nicoise olives (I substituted half a jar of capers, well drained)
• 3                 minced anchovy fillets
• 5                 sprigs thyme (I substituted a teaspoon or so of dried thyme)
• 2                 bay leaves
• 1 14.5 oz can whole tomatoes, drained and diced
• 2 Tbsp      minced fresh parsley

Heat oven to 325 F.  Season beef with salt and pepper.  Brown in batches in olive oil and set beef aside.  Brown the salt pork, carrots, onions, garlic, and tomato paste in the pot, 2 minutes.  Add flour and stir 1 minute.  Deglaze pan with entire bottle of red wine.  Add broth and water and beef, and bring to a simmer.  Add mushrooms and the rehydrating water, orange zest, half the olives (capers in my case), anchovies, thyme, and bay.  Cover and place in oven for 2.5 to 3 hours.

Discard salt pork, thyme [sprigs] and bay leaves.  Add tomatoes, the rest of the olives [or capers], and warm.  Cover pot and allow stew to settle, 5 min.  Skim excess fat off the top.  Stir in parsley and serve.

A few comments:

• I served the stew over wide "egg-noodle" type noodles, whole wheat ones.
• The stew was great the first day, exceptionally great the second day as leftovers.  The sauce was perfect, just perfect, after a night in the fridge.
• The meat cost $13.  That's not so bad if you stretch it with noodles and salad, and plan to eat it two days.  Believe me, there is no trouble getting anyone to eat the leftovers.
• I only substituted the capers because Mark detests olives.  But they were very nice.
• If I make this again (if?!?!? Ha!) I will decrease the orange zest.  The citrus note in the stew was pleasing, but a little too strong --- it needed balance.
• They aren't kidding when they tell you to skim off the fat.  This dish produces a thick film of oil on top.  Perhaps it should be made a day ahead, especially if you are planning to eat it all in one go --- then you can remove hardened fat from the top (easier than skimming), and you get the "exceptionally great leftovers" effect.
• Even if you don't make it a day ahead, it's really convenient, because once it's in the oven you do not need to touch it --- not even to stir --- for three whole hours.

Try it!

Comments

[Diane]

from the yahoo nfp group, I clicked on a link to your blog and was having a bit of fun reading your musings. I had to ditto your comment about Cooks Illustrated! LOVE that magazine! A must for people who enjoy cooking (and eating!).