Recipe of the Day

 

Hat Tip to the food section of the New York Times. Some days I feel a special kinship with Sam Sifton and Melissa Clark. But I digress. 

 

Anyway, freezing temperatures returned over the weekend and my plan for St. Paddy's Day was for a traditional Irish stew.  So timing was perfect. My only departure from the basic recipe was to substitute our favorite free-range, wild-organic, hand-carved and renewable back forty venison.  Skipped the horseradish sour cream too.

Oven-Braised Guinness Beef Stew With Horseradish Cream

By Sarah DiGregorio

Classic beef stew is good, but this sophisticated beef stew — enriched with beer, cocoa powder and espresso — is really something special. Start by browning the beef and making a quick roux to guarantee a thick, flavorful stew instead of a watery, bland soup, and finish with hit of balsamic vinegar and lemon juice to balance out the rich, round notes. Dried shiitake
mushrooms provide another layer of complexity, but if you can’t find them, leave them out. The stew will still be delicious. Top big bowls of it with swirls of tangy horseradish cream.

Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

● 3 pounds beef chuck, fat trimmed and meat cut into 2-inch pieces
● 2 tablespoons plus ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
● Kosher salt and black pepper
● 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed
● 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
● 2 dried shiitake mushrooms, halved (optional)
● 2 tablespoons tomato paste
● 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
● 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
● 1 teaspoon onion powder
● ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
● ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
● 2½ cups Guinness or other stout beer
● 2½ cups beef stock or broth
● 2 fresh thyme sprigs
● 1 pound red or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
● 1 to 1½ pounds root vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, rutabaga, celery root and
    parsnips, peeled and cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
● 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
● 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
● 1 teaspoon lemon juice, plus more to taste
● ¾ cup sour cream
● 3 tablespoons jarred horseradish
● ¼ cup minced scallions or chives

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the beef and 2 tablespoons flour.
Season generously with salt and pepper and toss to coat. In a Dutch oven, heat 2
tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high. Working in batches, add the beef and let it
brown on two sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add a bit more oil if the meat sticks. (You
can brown it on more than two sides if you have time, but browning it on two sides is
enough to build flavor and texture.) Transfer the browned beef to a bowl or plate.
2. Make the gravy: Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the remaining 2 tablespoons
oil. Add the garlic, dried shiitakes (if using), tomato paste, brown sugar, cocoa, onion
powder, caraway seeds and espresso powder. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture
is fragrant and evenly combined, 1 to 2 minutes. (Reduce the heat to low or remove from
the heat temporarily if the bottom of the pan threatens to burn.) Add the remaining ⅓ cup
flour and cook, stirring and scraping constantly, until the mixture forms a thick, dry paste,
about 1 minute. Add the beer and stock. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil,
whisking constantly to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it boil
until smooth and thickened, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and remove
from the heat.
3. Add the beef and any juices, thyme, potatoes and root vegetables. Cover and transfer to
the oven. Cook until the beef and vegetables are tender, 2 to 2½ hours.
4. Add the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Taste, and season with more
salt, pepper and lemon juice if necessary. (If the stew tastes flat, add more lemon juice
first, then more salt and pepper; acid is key to making it taste lively. It may need a
surprising amount of salt, especially if you have used unsalted or low-salt stock.) Discard
the thyme.
5. Make the horseradish cream: Stir together the sour cream, horseradish and scallions in
a small bowl. Season with salt. Serve stew in bowls with a spoonful of the horseradish
cream on top.

Mise en place

Brown venison in small batches

Assemble everything and braise it low and slow in the oven

Excellent table fare - this recipe is a keeper