Bourbon Beef Stew (NYTimes) by Barbara

 

Deep, Rich Flavors from the Bourbon and the Tomato Paste

Made this comforting stew yesterday.  And will have it for leftovers today.  Perfect for a cold, snowy day while we watch March Madness basketball.

---Barbara

Bourbon Beef Stew

(adapted from a NYTimes recipe by Vallery Lomas)

Serves  6 to 8

For the marinade and browning the beef:

3 lbs. chuck steak, cut into 8 pieces 

1 T. sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice (1 large lemon)

1/3 cup olive oil

2 T. soy sauce

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

salt & pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

For the stew:

2 -3 T. oil for browning the beef 

3 carrots, scraped and cut into large chunks

2 onions, cut into quarters

5-6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 T. dried French thyme

2 T. tomato paste

salt and pepper

1 quart beef stock (4 cups), unsalted

1/3 cup Bourbon

The day before or in the early moring, remove the chuck steak from its wrapper, pat dry and sprinkle both side with sugar.  Place on a plate, uncovered, and refrigerate to air dry, until time to marinate it.  

Four  to five hours in advance of starting the stew, make the marinade.

Combine lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce in a plastic bag. Add the lemon halves, too. Cut the chuck steak into 8 pieces, pierce them with a fork, and add to the plastic bag, Massage the marinade into the meat, so that all the pieces are well coated.  Place in the refrigerator on a plate for 4 to 5 hours, turning the bag over whenever you remember to do it.  

Time to make the stew:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Remove the top rack, if needed, to allow room for the stockpot.

Prepare the onions, carrots, and garlic.  Measure out the bourbon, tomato paste and beef stock so you will be ready.  

Remove the chuck steak pieces and pat them dry.  (Discard the marinade. I used it for companion roasted potatoes.  But it doesn't get used in the stew.)

Sprinkle the chuck beef pieces with salt and pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.

In a heavy stock pot with a cover, large enough to brown the beef and hold all the ingredients and the stock, heat up the oil on medium-high until shimmering.  

Place the beef carefully in the hot oil, turn up the heat to high, and brown until crusty on all sides.  You may have to do it in batches to have enough room to properly brown the beef.  Remove from the pan, and turn down the heat to medium.

Deglaze the pan with bourbon.  If there isn't enough liquid, then add some of the beef stock.  Use a wooden spoon or spatula and scrape all of the brown bits off the bottom and sides of the pot.

Add the tomato paste, and coat all the vegetables and cook until the lumps are gone, stirring. 

Add the maple syrup and stir in well.

Add the onions, carrots and garlic and coat all them in the hot oil.  Turn up the heat to medium high

Then add the bay leafs and thyme.  Add a little salt and pepper.

Add the stock.

Return the beef to the pot, submerging each piece into the broth.  

Bring to a simmer.

Cover and place in the oven at 300 degrees for 2.5 hours.  

Remove from the oven.  

Using tongs, remove 2 pieces of beef per person and place in a deep plate.  Scoop out a few carrots and onions for each plate.  If desired, pour some sauce over each piece of beef.

You could place the beef over a bed of mashed potoates or rice, and then you might want more sauce.

I served our beef with roasted potates and a creamy arugula salad.

I stored the beef and the broth separately so I can remove the fat to make onion soup for later in the week.  We'll have the meat, and potato leftovers with a salad again tonight.  

B