WILD MUSHROOM AND BEEF STEW
Sit
comfortably with our vegetarian stew full of flavors made from wild mushrooms,
garlic, Madeira and marinated nuts. Serve with a creamy butter polenta for the
ultimate comforting dinner.
Ingredients
- vegetable oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 sprigs of thyme
- 1 cup Cognac
- 1 large onion chopped
- 5 cloves of garlic
- about 2 quarts beef stock
- 2 pounds of chuck cut up into bite size cubes
- 1 pound of a variety of mushrooms roughly chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
First, cut
the meat into medium sized cubes and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Preheat a Dutch oven or thick-bottomed pan with vegetable oil until it begins
to smoke.
Then, preheat
the oven to 325 degrees.
Place the
beef in the pan, being careful not to overload the pan. Let brown on all sides.
In the
meantime, wash and roughly chop your mushrooms.
Check the
meat and remove once beautiful and brown. Put aside. You will have grease and
lumps at the bottom of the pot. Never mind. It's your flavor.
Add the
onions, a few cloves of garlic, a few sprigs of thyme, a bay leaf and mushrooms
and mix to cover with fat in the pan. Sauté for about 10 minutes.
Return the
meat to the pan and sprinkle evenly with a tablespoon of flour.
Mix to combine
until no more flour remains.
Take about 1
cup of cognac and pour it into the pot. NEVER POUR A BOTTLE! The flame may
catch on the bottle during pouring and the bottle will explode. You can let it
cook as it is or light the cognac on fire with a long match or if the pot is
shallow enough, tilt it towards the flame so that it catches fire. This is also
called icebreaking.
Once all the
alcohol is cooked, about 3 minutes, you will end up with a nice frozen meat.
Pour enough
beef broth to cover the meat and mushrooms almost completely. Adjust the
seasoning and cover with an airtight lid. Place in the oven for 30 minutes.
After 30
minutes, lower the heat to 275 degrees and cook for another 90 minutes or until
the meat is nice and tender.
Happy
Cooking Time.
