From the April, 2007 Food and Wine

Towards the end of last winter, as the days were getting longer and the damp, New York City chill was just beginning to loosen its pincer-like grip, I made a dish I’m often drawn to when it’s cold outside: beef stew. From this you might assume that stew is a particular favorite of mine, and it’s true that when said dish features a rich, robust sauce, a variety of bright, caramelized vegetables, and meat that’s as fork-tender as it is deeply flavored, I am indeed a happy man. Too often, though, whatever recipe I’m working with produces less than this desired combination—because the meat is tough, the vegetables mushy, or the sauce fails to deliver the zesty kick that’s such a critical component for me. And so over the past few winters I’ve tried a variety of stew recipes, all in the hope of finally achieving stew nirvana. It proved a frustratingly elusive state and one I’d all but given up on attaining until that day last February when, quite unexpectedly, I landed on the answer to my beefy dreams.

Of course, I knew the recipe I was trying held promise—for one thing it came courtesy of Jacques Pépin (via Food and Wine), the man behind any number of my favorite dishes. But it also called for an entire bottle of full-bodied red wine, an enticing mix of vegetables (baby carrots, cipollini onions, cremini mushrooms), and a handful of diced lardons, all ingredients that suggested the sort of deep, enveloping flavors I was after. What’s more, the combination suggested something more akin to the French boeuf Bourgignon than to classic American stew, which given my particular stew frustrations struck me as a good thing. Still, I’ve held promising stew recipes in my hand before only to have my hopes dashed when it came to the eating, so whatever anticipation I felt as I assembled my ingredients and got down to cooking was tempered by the suspicion that the finished product would likely fall short of my high standards.

Right from the start, however, things took an appealingly fragrant turn, when the beef was introduced to the melted butter/olive oil waiting in my cast iron pot, and later when the chopped onion and garlic were added to the proceedings. I don’t know about you, but on a chilly Sunday afternoon there are few smells more comforting—or mouth-watering—than that of beef, onions, and garlic sizzling in a pan of olive oil. And it’s a combination of cooking smells that only gets better when you add your bottle of red wine, along with a big sprig of thyme and a few bay leaves, to the pot. If comfort food had a signature smell this would be it: bright, zesty, and a little spicy. And it’s a medley of fragrances you’ll be enjoying for the next ninety minutes, since once the wine comes to a boil the pot is covered and moved to a 350˚ oven, where the sauce will thicken and reduce, and the meat will contract and tenderize.

Of course, no stew would be complete without those all-important vegetables, which here are cooked separately and added to the stew just before serving—a neat trick that protects against the buzz-kill of mushy vegetables. To start, simmer the pancetta in two cups of water for 20 minutes, a process that leaches some of the saltiness from the cured meat and keeps it from overpowering the flavors of the other ingredients once it’s introduced to the mixture. The pancetta is then sliced into lardons and added to a skillet along with the onions, the mushrooms, and the carrots, as well as a tablespoon of olive oil, a ¼ cup of water, and a little seasoning (a large pinch each of salt, pepper, and sugar).

Once the liquid comes to a boil (this will be quick, as there’s not all that much water or olive oil to heat) cover the skillet and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated—including the additional volume released by the mushrooms. This is followed by a quick sauté (about four minutes), or until the vegetables are tender and nicely browned. That said, if you’re not able to find baby carrots (there were none to be had on my most recent foray, the photos of which are presented here) and are using a larger variety, in addition to cutting them into bite size pieces, you may need to extend the simmer time by five minutes or so to ensure everything is sufficiently tender. I should also mention that in addition to those carrots I had difficulty locating either cipollini or pearl onions (according to the recipe either will do), and so was forced to use frozen pearl onions—which, despite their time saving appeal should only be used as a last resort since they’re virtually flavorless. If you do find yourself in the happy position of being able to choose between the two options, however, I strongly suggest going with the larger cipollini onions over the pearl, as their generous proportions present a more satisfying burst of sweet onion flavor, while their flat sides lend themselves to better browning.

When the vegetables are sufficiently tender fold the majority into the meat mixture, reserving a small portion to be used, along with a few pinches of freshly chopped parsley, as garnish. The net result is a finished product that’s as bright visually as it is in the flavor department, while the meat—blanketed in a rich, tangy sauce—is miraculously tender and moist. In fact, “miraculous” is just the word that came to my mind on that chilly Sunday last winter when I first made this dish—which by the way is most definitely designed for eating with a fork, versus the brothier variety requiring a spoon… another selling point in my book. At last, here was a dish that checked all of my requirements, and was blessedly easy to prepare, as well.

Cold weather? Bring it on.

Ingredients:
—1 tbs unsalted butter
—2 tbs olive oil
—2 lbs trimmed beef flatiron steak or chuck, cut into 8 pieces
—Salt, to taste
—Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
—1 cup finely chopped onion
—1 tbs finely chopped garlic
—1 tbs all-purpose flour
—1 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine
—2 bay leaves
—1 thyme sprig
—1 5-oz piece of pancetta
—15 pearl or small cipollini onions
—15 cremini mushrooms
—15 baby carrots, peeled
—Sugar
—Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:
—Preheat oven to 350°.
—In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, melt the butter in 1 tbs of the olive oil. Arrange the meat in the casserole in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 8 minutes. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat the meat with it. Add the wine, bay leaves, and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
—Cover the casserole and transfer it to the oven. Cook the stew for 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is flavorful.
—Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cover the pancetta with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain the pancetta and slice it 1/2 inch thick, then cut the slices into 1-inch-wide lardons.
—In a large skillet, combine the pancetta, pearl onions, mushrooms, and carrots. Add the remaining 1 tbs of olive oil, 1/4 cup of water, and a large pinch each of sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until almost all of the water has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook over high heat, tossing, until the vegetables are tender and nicely browned, about 4 minutes. (TRG note: If you’re unable to locate baby carrots and are using a larger variety, you’ll probably need to extend the steaming time by 5 to 10 minutes; make sure the vegetables are nearly fork tender before proceeding to the sauté stage).
—To serve, stir some of the vegetables and lardons into the stew and scatter the rest on top as a garnish. Top with a little chopped parsley and serve.

Serves 4

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Adapted from the Feb./March 2012 Fine Cooking 

When I was growing up in Philadelphia in the 1970s beef stroganoff was the sort of thing my parents would serve at their dinner parties… or at least I think it was. Writing this, I realize the statement is based on an early memory, and we know how reliable memory is—particularly vintage ones. Be that as it may, I do seem to recall waking early one weekend morning when I was five or six years old, walking downstairs, and finding lots of dirty dishes scattered about the living room and kitchen—a number of them still smeared with egg noodles and a beefy cream sauce. I wiped many of those plates clean (gross, I know, but boy was it good). Having said that, I will likely now hear from my mom telling me that a) she’s never made beef stroganoff in her life, and b) she would never have gone to bed with dirty dishes piled on the coffee table. Maybe so, but ever since that (real or imagined) morning I’ve had a weakness for the dish, just as I will always associate it with the swinging ‘70s. It’s a recipe that doesn’t get nearly enough play these days.

Not that I’m suggesting it’s something one should make a steady diet of. Cholesterol issues aside, one of the pleasures of beef stroganoff is that it retains a special occasion quality (and with the rich, hearty ingredients featured in the dish, it’s especially well suited to cold weather special occasions). It’s on a different level than beef stew of meatloaf, and I’m all for keeping it there. Still, no matter when you eat it, or how often, it’s a dish that deserves to be enjoyed far more than I suspect it is in this era of self-denial (juice cleanse anyone?). And given how simple it is to prepare, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be. So consider this my attempt to revive the popularity of one of my favorite dishes.

It’s actually something I’ve been planning for a while, since around the time (a year ago already) that I first tried the recipe presented below. With one thing and another, though, the moment never seemed quite right to post it, and so the dish got pushed to the back of the pile—until now. The recipe comes from the Feb/March, 2012 issue of Fine Cooking and immediately replaced all the other versions of the dish that I’d collected over the years. With its generous use of mushrooms and onions to bump up the flavor quotient, this one just comes closest to the combination of flavors and textures I remember from that first encounter. Add slices of lean, seared beef and a tangy sauce into the mix, and you have exactly the sort of thing that I start carving when the weather turns cold and wet (as it has here in the northeast during the past few weeks).

Of course, credit for this must also be given to the presence of those egg noodles—the traditional American accompaniment to the dish (supposedly Russians serve it with potato straws, which doesn’t sound nearly as appealing to me). I’m a big fan of egg noodles, in part because they’re such a good canvas for whatever is layered on top of them. When that’s simply a few pats of butter it’s a good thing, but when it’s a creamy sauté featuring the various components mentioned above, it’s even better. On a cold winter’s night, what more could you possibly want?

But before you answer let me share this: on a recent Sunday evening I whipped up a batch of said dish, and though we weren’t celebrating a birthday, or an anniversary, or a holiday, the meal was subtly elevated to special occasion status. In other words, no more winter chill, no more Sunday night anxiety, just great flavors on a plate, and a gratitude for being in a place—and with people—that I love.

Works for me.

Ingredients:
—1 tsp kosher salt (plus more to taste)
—1½ lbs beef top round or shell steak, sliced ¼” thick, slices cut crosswise into 1” pieces
—3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
—2 tbs canola oil
—3 tbs unsalted butter
—10 oz white button mushrooms, stems removed and caps cut into ¼” slices (4 cups)
—1 cup finely chopped yellow onion (about half a medium onion)
—1 tbs all-purpose flour
—1 cup reduced sodium beef broth
—1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature (note: don’t use reduced fat sour cream as it will likely curdle)
—1 12-oz package wide egg noodles
—1 tbs thinly sliced fresh chives

Directions:
—Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat.
—Season the beef with 1 tsp salt and ¾ tsp pepper. Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a 12” skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add half of the beef and cook, stirring often, until the meat is just browned, about 1 minute; do no overcook. Transfer to a plate and repeat with 2 tsp of the oil and the remaining beef.
—Remove the skillet from the heat. Add 1 tbs of the butter and the remaining 2 tsp oil to the skillet and stir until the butter melts. Put the skillet over medium heat and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the onions are beginning to soften, about 3 minutes more.
—Sprinkle the mushroom mixture with the flour and stir for 15 seconds. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits in the skillet with a wooden spoon. Add the sour cream and whisk until the sauce is smooth. Add the beef and any juices from the plate to the skillet. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce is barely simmering. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Note: Don’t worry if the sour cream appears to curdle when it’s whisked into the sauce—it will smooth out as you continue to stir.)
—Meanwhile, cook the noodles in the boiling water according to the package directions until barely tender. Drain and return to the pot. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tbs butter and stir to melt. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
—Serve the beef over the noodles, sprinkled with the chives.

Serves 4 to 6

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