A couple of weeks ago, I was at a blues show at the Rhythm Room and my friends Ken and Dave talked about how they have been meaning to get together to play music but just haven’t made it happen, so I suggested they come to my place the following weekend to play music and that I would make them a big pot of something.
A few other friends joined us and we had a night of simmering bourguignonne and scintillating blues . . . .
Dave is a legendary blues artist and it was a lot of fun having him and Ken playing in my living room. Dave has a new CD forthcoming, which will be released by the esteemed Blue Witch Records. You can buy his music on iTunes or through the Blue Witch Records website: www.bluewitchrecords.com
Beef Fricassee [Boeuf a la Bourguignonne]
Serves 6 people.
This recipe is very similar to Coq au Vin, with a few subtle differences. Like with Coq au Vin, it is dressed with braised pearl onions and sauteed mushrooms. It is traditionally served with steamed parsley potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or rice, but I prefer thick slices of artisan bread as an accompaniment.
It is best to use a chuck roast for this recipe. The better the quality of the meat you use, the more delicious the dish will be. Other cuts of meat that work: rump roast, sirloin tip, top round, or bottom round. I always buy one pound more than I need as I like to cut the meat into cubes myself and trim off as much fat as possible. While fat does make the dish more flavorful, remember that you are already using bacon fat and olive oil, and the meat itself, even trimmed, still has a lot of fat in it.
Use a five-quart Dutch oven with a lid for this dish. I prefer to cook it stove top, allowing it to simmer all day; however, you can also cook it in the oven at 325 degrees for 3 to 4 hours.
1/4 pound bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 pound chuck roast cut into large cubes, with the fat trimmed off
4 large peeled carrots thickly sliced at an angle
1 medium onion chopped
kosher salt or sea salt and fresh ground white pepper to taste
3 cups young full-bodied red wine (Burgundy, Cote du Rhone, Beaujolais, or Pinot Noir)
3 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, peeled from stems and slightly chopped to release flavor
1 cup braised pearl onions
1 pound sauteed cremini mushrooms
beurre manie made from 2 tablespoons unsalted butter mashed together with 3 tablespoons of flour
fresh flat leaf parsley for garnish
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Cut bacon into lardons (1 inch wide) and sautee in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until lightly browned. Remove bacon to a plate.
Season beef cubes with sea salt and fresh ground white pepper, then brown in the bacon fat in small batches so the meat browns but does not steam. Remove to a bowl as each batch is browned.
Sautee onion and carrots in remaining fat. Once onions are translucent, add meat, bacon, wine, tomato paste, garlic and thyme. Add just enough beef broth to cover the meat. Bring to a simmer.
At this point, you can allow the fricasse to simmer on the stove top all day, or you can put it in the lower third of the oven and cook at 325 degrees for 3 to 4 hours.
Once flavors have melded and meat is tender, add the beurre manie to thicken the sauce before serving. Blend butter and flour with a fork on a small plate until fully incorporated. Add to liquid and stir in with the fork. The sauce will slightly thicken.
Prior to serving, add braised onions and sauteed mushrooms, and garnish with fresh parsley.
Braised Pearl Onions
Melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small sauce pan. Once butter and oil start to bubble, add 1 cup peeled pearl onions and saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Gently roll onions to brown all sides but be careful not to break the skins.
Once browned, add ½ c of beef stock and salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Onions should be tender but fully shaped and liquid should be evaporated.
Sauteed Cremini Mushrooms
Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small sautee pan on high heat. Once butter and oil have bubbled, add mushrooms and sautee for 5 minutes, moving mushrooms with a wooden spoon. Once browned, remove from heat.
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