This is not a traditional thin Yankee beef stew. I like a rich gravy surrounding my slow-cooked tender meat, so my recipe is more like a cross between a classic French daube (with plenty of red wine) and a long-simmered Italian meat ragù (with plenty of tomatoes).
You will notice that this stew is all about the beef and does not contain big chunks of vegetables, which I think get too mushy when cooked in the stew. Instead, I use quickly cooked vegetables as a garnish at the end: I offer sautéed carrots and/or steamed peas to those who want them. This stew can be served over mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, or polenta, depending on your preference – it’s that versatile.
Serves 6
- 4 bushy sprigs thyme
- 1 wide-strip orange peel
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes (preferably Bianco DiNapoli brand)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 ounces bacon (about 4 slices), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium-large onion (about 5 to 6 ounces), sliced (about 1¼ cups)
- Kosher salt
- 13/4 cups good quality red wine
- 2½ pounds trimmed chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces (You will need to start with either a chuck roast or two thick chuck steaks that weigh about 3 pounds total.)
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 cups low-sodium broth (any kind – or 1 cup broth and 1 cup water)
- Fresh parsley for garnish
- Mashed potatoes, rice, polenta, or pasta for serving (optional)
- Sautéed carrots or steamed peas for garnish (optional)
1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove a rack from the oven if necessary to fit your 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven in.
2. Bundle the thyme, orange peel, and bay leaves together in cheese cloth and tie with kitchen twine.
3. Pour the canned tomatoes into a large bowl and use your hands or a potato masher to crush the tomatoes roughly.
4. In the Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bacon pieces and cook, stirring until brown and rendered. Transfer the bacon pieces to a plate and lower the heat to medium-low.
5. Spoon off a bit of the fat, leaving about 3 tablespoons. Add the onions and a ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bacon, until the onions are softened and a bit browned, about 8 minutes.
6. Pour ¼ cup of the red wine into the pan and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the wine is mostly reduced, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the contents of the pan into a bowl and reserve. Take the pot off the heat.
7. Put the beef pieces on a large, rimmed sheet pan and season them generously with salt (about 2 teaspoons) and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over them and toss them well to coat.
8. Return the pot to the heat, raise the heat to medium, and add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Working in batches, add a third of the beef pieces to the pot and cook until browned on two sides. (Don’t stir, just flip the pieces over after they’ve had a chance to brown on the first side for a few minutes.) Transfer the browned pieces back to the sheet pan and cook the second and third batches, until all the pieces are browned, adding more oil as needed. (If your pot is wide enough, you can brown the meat in two batches instead of three.)
9. The pot will now have lots of browned stuff on the bottom of it, which is good. Add the garlic and stir for a few seconds. Add the tomato paste and spread it around the bottom of the pan (with a silicone spatula) to “toast” it for a few seconds. Add the remaining 1½ cups of wine and cook, stirring and scraping vigorously to incorporate all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan (a wooden spoon works best here). Bring to a simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
10. Add the bacon, onions (and their liquid), and the beef pieces (and any juices) back into the pot, along with the 2 cups of broth, tomatoes, and herb bundle. Bring to a gentle simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan again, and cover. Transfer to the oven.
11. Cook, checking and stirring every 45 minutes at first and every 20 to 30 minutes at the end, until the beef is very tender and the sauce very thickened, about 2½ to 3 hours. (You may need to drop the temperature of the oven slightly as time goes on as the sauce may begin to boil, rather than simmer, as it reduces. Your goal is a gentle simmer. Keep covered.)
12. Serve hot over your choice of mashed potatoes, rice, polenta, or pasta if you like. Garnish as you like with fresh parsley and either sautéed carrots, steamed peas, or both.
