Ingredients
- 4 bacon slices, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 pounds boneless chuck roast (or other lean beef), cut in
- 1-inch cubes
- 2 ½ cups dry red wine
- 1 (10 ½-ounce) can beef consommé
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (about 1 sprig)
- 1 teaspoon table salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced (2 ½ teaspoons)
- 2 ½ cups beef broth, plus more if needed
- 12 pearl onions (9 ounces)
- 3 tablespoons (1 ½ ounces) salted butter
- 1 (8-ounce) package fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
HANDS-ON 1 HOUR, 15 MINUTES
TOTAL 3 HOURS, 45 MINUTES
SERVES 6
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Cook the bacon in a heavy ovenproof Dutch oven over medium until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in the Dutch oven.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the drippings; heat over medium-high until hot. Add the beef in 2 batches; cook until well browned, about 2 minutes on each side, adding the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil when adding the second batch of meat. Add ½ cup of the wine to the Dutch oven, and cook, stirring to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven.
3. Return the bacon and beef to the Dutch oven. Add the beef consommé, tomato paste, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, bay leaf, and garlic. Pour in the remaining 2 cups wine or enough to almost cover the meat. Bring just to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat.
4. Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 ½ hours. As the liquid cooks down, add 1 cup of the beef broth, or more if needed.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Peel the onions and cut a small “x” in the stem ends to prevent them from coming apart during cooking. Place the onions and the remaining 1 ½ cups of the beef broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high; reduce the heat to low, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the onions, reserving ¾ cup cooking liquid; set aside.
6. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add the mushrooms, and cook, stirring once or twice, until browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside.
7. When the beef is done, remove the beef from the braising liquid with a slotted spoon, and place in a large bowl. Add the cooked onions and mushrooms to the bowl.
8. Add the reserved ¾ cup liquid from the cooked onions to the beef braising liquid in the Dutch oven. Skim the fat from the surface of the liquid as needed. Place the Dutch oven over medium-high; bring to a boil.
9. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan and stir in the flour until smooth. Gradually stir a small amount (about ¼ cup) of the hot cooking liquid into the flour mixture, then stir the flour mixture into the cooking liquid in the Dutch oven. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the beef mixture to the Dutch oven; cook over medium until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Serve sprinkled with the parsley.
NOTES:
Double this recipe to serve 12. But do not try to cook it all in one Dutch oven.
If fresh pearl onions are not available, use frozen; thaw them well, and saute 1 to 2 minutes in butter.
1972 SOUTHERN LIVING PARTY COOKBOOK ORIGINAL