This Beef Stew is Peak French Comfort Food: Transforming Cheap Cuts Into Gold

red wine

🥗Healthier: non-alcoholic wine

💰Cheaper: beef broth

Non-alcoholic wine maintains flavor without alcohol.

beef chuck

🥗Healthier: sirloin

💰Cheaper: round steak

Sirloin is leaner while round steak is more economical.

bacon

🥗Healthier: turkey bacon

💰Cheaper: smoked pork belly

Turkey bacon reduces fat while maintaining smokiness.

beef broth

🥗Healthier: vegetable broth

💰Cheaper: water with bouillon

Vegetable broth offers a lighter option.

Begin by cutting your piece of beef into thick 1 inch slabs. Season the slabs of beef all over generously with salt and pepper.

Put a heavy saute pan on the stove over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the neutral oil. Once properly hot, add half the slabs of beef to the pan. Let sear for around 2 minutes per side. Remove the beef from the pan and let rest.

Remove the rind from the bacon, cut into strips and then into .5 inch pieces. Add the bacon to a pan over medium low heat and cook until brown and crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Add the onion, carrot, and celery of the sofrito to the pan that the bacon was cooked in. Cover and cook until the vegetables have gotten soft and caramelized. Add the tomato paste and garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes.

Add 2 cups of the red wine to a pan and boil over medium high heat until it has reduced by half.

Cut the seared beef slabs into large chunks of approximately 2 inches.

Use a dutch oven to assemble the stew. Add the beef, sofrito, 2 cups red wine, stock, bacon, thyme, and any wine used to deglaze to the pot. Bring everything up to a boil and then drop the heat to a simmer. Put the lid on the pot and set in an oven at 325 F. Cook for two hours. Just before the two hour mark, saute the chunky-cut vegetables in a separate pan until brown. Add these veggies to the stew pot and cook for another hour.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: