Gluten Free · Dairy Free
French Classic Recipes
A classic French dish — this beef in red wine stew has rich, vibrant flavours. My version packs in more veggies than the traditional recipe, but I find that we always finish the vegetables first.
Ingredients
- 1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces bacon, diced
- 3 pounds beef brisket trimmed of fat, chuck steak or stewing beef, cut into fairly large 2-inch cubes
- 3 large carrots, sliced in ½-inch rounds
- 2 medium turnips, diced
- 2 sticks of celery, chopped fine
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 8 cloves garlic (crush and mince 4, leave 4 whole)
- ½ tsp rough grey salt or salt from preserved lemons
- Ground pepper to taste
- 1 tsp ground coriander seed
- 1 tsp ground fennel seed
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour
- 18–20 small shallots or pearl onions, peeled but left whole
- 1 bottle of rich red wine — a Spanish Rioja, French Burgundy, Madiran or Saint Mont
- 3 cups of stock (or water honestly works fine too)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 bouquets garnis (a bay leaf tied around a bunch of thyme)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 20 or so medium cremini mushrooms, halved or sliced
- 2 tablespoons dairy-free butter
Instructions — Traditional Oven Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Sauté the chopped bacon over medium heat until browned and crispy. Remove the bacon from the oil and set aside for later — but keep that bacon fat!
- Pat the beef dry with paper towel and sear in batches in the hot oil and bacon fat until browned on all sides. Remove from the pot and set aside with the bacon.
- In the remaining fat, sauté the turnip, celery, carrots and diced onion for about 3 minutes until softened. Add the 4 whole cloves of garlic and barely cook — about 1 minute.
- Drain the excess fat (leave about 1 tablespoon in the pot) and return the bacon and beef. Season with coarse salt, ground coriander, fennel and pepper. Sprinkle with the flour, toss well and cook for 4–5 minutes until lightly browned.
- Add the shallots, wine and enough stock or water so the meat is barely covered. Stir in the tomato paste, add the bouquets garnis and fresh herbs. Bring to a simmer on the stove.
- Put the lid on the pot and move it to the lower shelf in the oven. Turn the heat down to 190°C and continue to cook for 2 to 3 hours. It's ready when the meat is beautifully tender.
- As you approach the end of the cooking time, prepare the mushrooms. Melt the dairy-free butter in a frying pan, add the 4 crushed and minced cloves of garlic and cook for just 30 seconds, watching carefully to make sure they don't burn. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to coat them with the butter. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Once browned, set aside.
- At this point you can strain the sauce off and refrigerate it to make removing any fat easier. This also gives you the opportunity to thin or thicken the sauce by reducing it on the stove. But if it doesn't look too greasy and the consistency is about right, simply adjust the seasoning, add more salt if needed, stir in the mushrooms, make sure everything is hot and proceed to plating.
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, gnocchi, rice or noodles.
Can also be prepared a day in advance and served the next day — the flavours only improve overnight.
