BeefBurgundy

Combine all ingredients in a zip top bag and add cubed beef. Allow to marinate, overnight, if possible. After marinating, remove the beef cubes from the bag and drain on paper towels. Save the marinade. Dredge the beef cubes in flour and season with salt and pepper.

The key to rich tasty stew is careful browning of the beef and this can take a very long time to get a thick brown crust on every beef cube, but this step cannot be rushed.

Heat a heavy skillet on medium high heat and add 2 TB olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the beef cubes in batches to the skillet and get a deep, dark brown on each side of the cubes as they are done and do the next batch. When the cubes are all browned, remove them from the skillet and add the onion, the carrot, and the garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent.

Strain the marinade and add it to the onions, add the broth, the fresh bay leaves, the thyme and the salt and pepper. Transfer to a dutch oven, cover and braise for about 90 minutes at 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, sauté the halved mushrooms in olive oil until slightly browned. Add the mushrooms to the dutch oven, cover and cook for an additional 40 minutes.

Serve with roasted root vegetables or mashed potatoes and a crusty loaf of bread.


	Beef Burgundy
Beef Burgundy is plain old beef stew taken up a notch, but it is a serious leap and well worth the effort and the aroma of the cooking will sure take the January off a chilly house. The beef cut I prefer is whole chuck roast and that I like to cut up myself. The cubes should be about 2 inches thick and wide and carefully trimmed of extra sinew and fat. Don't cut the cubes any smaller than 2 inches square because the smaller cubes will require more flour for dredging and the sauce might be gluey. Now which wine do you choose? If you just won the Christmas pool, you could use a real French burgundy, but for practical purposes, since French burgundy is made from pinot noir grapes, a California appellation of pinot noir would be wonderful. In my college days, we made beef burgundy with Gallo hearty red and it was pretty good stuff, too. Sue Kleber		3 lb. chuck roast, cut into 2-inch pieces all-purpose four for dredging salt and pepper olive oil 1 large onion, finely minced 2 carrots, finely diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 cups beef broth 2 bay leaves 1 tsp. dried thyme 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved	MARINADE 3 cups sturdy, drinkable red wine 3 garlic cloves, mashed 2 bay leaves 1 TB Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
		Combine all ingredients in a zip top bag and add cubed beef. Allow to marinate, overnight, if possible. After marinating, remove the beef cubes from the bag and drain on paper towels. Save the marinade. Dredge the beef cubes in flour and season with salt and pepper. The key to rich tasty stew is careful browning of the beef and this can take a very long time to get a thick brown crust on every beef cube, but this step cannot be rushed. Heat a heavy skillet on medium high heat and add 2 TB olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the beef cubes in batches to the skillet and get a deep, dark brown on each side of the cubes as they are done and do the next batch. When the cubes are all browned, remove them from the skillet and add the onion, the carrot, and the garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent. Strain the marinade and add it to the onions, add the broth, the fresh bay leaves, the thyme and the salt and pepper. Transfer to a dutch oven, cover and braise for about 90 minutes at 350 degrees. Meanwhile, sauté the halved mushrooms in olive oil until slightly browned. Add the mushrooms to the dutch oven, cover and cook for an additional 40 minutes. Serve with roasted root vegetables or mashed potatoes and a crusty loaf of bread.
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