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A Stew Reborn Gram’s Beef Stew Gets a Boulder Makeover Article Misty Lebowitz
A
t my house, fall is the start to my favorite food time of year. Everyone gets excited as the leaves begin to change, and I reroute from light healthy summer menus to warm, mouthwatering, comforting foods for cold weather and most i mportantly football Sundays. One very special recipe that keeps everyone coming back for more is beef stew in a red wine reduction served with a nice crusty loaf. Now, when Grams first taught me this recipe back in 1987 she used much different ingredients. Lots of lard, boneless beef short ribs and no wine. Today, I am going to show you how over the years I took a good family recipe, did some research on Julia Child, tried a few experiments and then gave it some Colorado personality. I have swapped out the beef for some local, lean bison and added some delicious cabernet sauvignon from the Boulder Creek Winery. INGREDIENTS
• 1 tablespoon butter – good quality unsalted butter is preferred • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 2 pounds trimmed bison, cut into 8 pieces • Large pinch Salt • Freshly ground black pepper (I use a mixture of black, pink, and red peppercorns) • 1 cup finely chopped onion • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour • One 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine – I prefer Cabernet Sauvignon (this time I am using a nice bottle from the Boulder Creek Winery, but you can use any sort of dry red wine. Different wines will produce different depths of flavors, it really is a matter of preference) • 2 bay leaves 48
Boulder Lifestyle | November 2014
• 1 thyme sprig • 6 ounce slab of bacon, (Pancetta is a nice touch if you have it available; if so remove rind) • 15 small cipollini/pearl onions, peeled • 15 baby carrots, peeled (thick carrots work better than carrot sticks) • Large pinch sugar TIP: For those of you who are used to making a beef stew by cooking the protein and vegetables at the same time, this recipe may seem strange. However, I find that cooking them together tends to leave the vegetables mushy and really changes the texture of the stew. So, I like to first braise the bison in the red wine until a nice, rich sauce develops. Once the sauce is to my desired consistency, I then add the vegetables, allowing them to soak in the flavors as the bison tenderizes. Give it a shot. I promise it’s worth the extra effort!
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350° In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot–oven appropriate–melt the butter in one tablespoon of olive oil. Position bison in a single layer at the bottom of pot and season with salt and pepper to preference. Cook over medium-high heat (the pan should sizzle when you add the bison), turning occasionally until browned on all sides, about eight minutes.
Add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about five minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat the bison. Add the wine, bay leaves and thyme, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Make sure to stir to dissolve any delicious brown bits trapped to the bottom of the pot! Cover the pot and carefully transfer to oven. Cook the stew for 1 1/2 hours until the bison is tender and the sauce is savory. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cover the bacon with two cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain the bacon and cut into one inch slices. In a large skillet, combine the bacon, cipollini onions and carrots. Add the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 cup of water and a large pinch each of sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to 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. Stir some of the vegetables and bacon strips into the stew and scatter the rest on top as a garnish. Top with a little chopped parsley and serve. Serving size: 4