Ultimate Beef Stew (Ina Garten) by Tom

 Barbara decided that it was my turn to cook.  After looking through a bunch of cookbooks, we settled on Ina Garten's "Modern Comfort Food" and her recipe for "Ultimate Beef Stew". It looked really good in the pictures, so why not give it a go.  Plus I like beef stew and this would provide food for a couple of meals.  Barbara does not like fennel, so we substituted celery.  And used a cheaper cut of meat, beef shoulder roast. Boneless short ribs are much more expensive today than they were when her cookbook came out.  

It takes a while to both prepare (30-45 minutes) and cook (2 1/2 - 3 hours).  But it was worth the effort.  A very tasty beef stew.

---Tom

Ultimate Beef Stew

(adapted from Ina Garten's Modern Comfort Food)

3 tablespoons good olive oil

3 lbs. boneless beef short ribs (we used beef shoulder), excess fat removed and cut into small cubes

2 cups carrots, sliced diagonally into roughly 1" pieces

2 cups chopped fennel (we used celery), cut into 1" pieces

4 ounces diced pancetta

2 cups chopped yellow onions

2 tablespoons minced garlic

14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes including the juices

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups of low sodium beef broth

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into approximately 1" pieces (we used 2 lbs.)

1/4 cup brandy or cognac

1 cup red wine

10 ounces frozen peas (we used 12 ounces)

Salt and pepper for seasoning and taste

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Start by chopping the onions, celery (or fennel), and carrots.  Put aside for cooking.  I used plastic containers for each vegetable. 

Now mince the garlic cloves and put into a small container.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the pancetta and cook for 4-5 minutes until browned.  Be careful to not let it burn by stirring frequently.  With a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a plate lined with a paper towel, and then set aside.  The pancetta will go back in near the end of the cooking cycle.

Season the beef pieces with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.  Brown half the meat in the Dutch oven over medium heat for about 5 - 7 minutes.  Turn the meat frequently to avoid burning.  Transfer the browned meat to a bowl, and start browning the remaining beef.  Once completed, transfer the beef to the bowl with the first half of the browned beef and set the bowl aside.

Off the heat, add the brandy and 1/3 cup of the red wine, scraping up any browned bits.  Then simmer over medium heat for one minute to intensify the flavors.

Now add the onions and celery (or fennel) to the Dutch oven over medium heat and sauté for 7-8 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.

Stir the tomatoes and tomato paste into the vegetables.  Add the remaining 2/3 cup red wine, the beef broth, the browned meat plus the accumulated juices from the bowl of meat, 2 teaspoons salt and one teaspoon pepper.  Bring to a simmer, cover and then put in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.  Check occasionally to make sure the liquid is simmering.

Wash and cut up the potatoes and put into another separate container.

Carefully, uncover the Dutch oven and stir in the carrots and the potatoes.  Recover and cook for another hour until the vegetables and meat are tender when tested with a fork.

Just before serving stir in the frozen peas and the pancetta.  They need to heat for about a minute. Taste for seasonings.

Serve the stew hot in large shallow bowls.  We used pasta bowls, which work very well. 

This ultimate beef stew is really very good.  I expect it will be even better tonight for a second dinner as the flavors have more of a chance to marry.

Bon Appetit!

---Tom