beef stew

i guess i love beef. i didnt know how much i loved it until i started this blog and got to see how much of it i really eat. and also when i saw a super deal on chuck roast at whole foods and decided to make a quick beef stew - a bourguignon nephew as it were - in honor of my friend charles - who loves beef as much as i. its really easy...

have your butcher cube 2 lbs. of chuck roast or any cheap slow roasting meat. when you get home, salt, pepper and flour them. let em rest and dice an onion, carrot, celery and 2 leeks (soak the leeks for a min and rub em around in the water to get the dirt out of the crevices). sweat them in a dutch oven and add a little sriracha chili and a splash of rum. transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon and add the beef in batches to brown. then transfer the beef to the separate bowl. add 1.5 cups of red wine and scrape the bits off the bottom and add the beef and aromatics. cover with water and another splash of rum.

you may also want to add flavor with a herb infuser of bouquet garni which is usually thyme and bay leaves wrapped in a leek. i put those same herbs and some orange slices in a big tea infuser for the same effect.

let that cook on low for 1 - 3 hours stirring occasionally and making sure everything is covered with liquid. 30 min before you're ready to eat, take a slotted spoon and transfer everything to that bowl again and remove the herb infuser so all thats left is the liquid. add a cubed piece of white bread and turn your flame to high. stir the boiling liquid until its reduced by 3/4 and add the beef. combine and let it sit for a while on low till... its ready. put it over rice or pasta.

this dish is very pliable and really cheap. i had all the ingredients leftover from the demi glace except the beef which was $12. i added the rest of some yoghurt at the end to make it a little creamy and acidic. anything goes if you cook the beef slow and low.

i love you.