french country beef stews

For all the years of cooking I had only made beef stews in the French method. My friend recently gave me two pounds of bottom round of the grass-fed beef they he would buy as a half cow. Out of a whim I decide to cook it with the French technique, with mirepoix and red wine as the foundation. I know he and his family would enjoy a rich beef stew so I bring the finish pot of stew to their house for dinner, together with some boiled carrots (also prepared in the French method) and some fresh herbs for serving.

Mirepoix is consists of chopped onion, carrot, and celery. It is sometimes referred to as the holy trinity.

 i also used a bit of garlic and shallot onion

I dug out this poor man's Le Creuset Dutch oven that I seldom use; while much better looking I would never pay the stratospheric price of a Le Creuset; this Lodge counterpart is still made in the USA with a bargain basement price tag

the bottom round is too lean to my liking; worst is there is no connecting tissues; the bottle of Bordeaux keeps the chef hydrated during the arduous cooking process and what remains would be used for the stew

 i seared the beef a bit in high heat

 the beef is then combined with the mirepoix that is sauteed separately

 add in some dried herbs

i de-glazed the bits of the cast iron pan that I browned the beef with the red wine and added to the pot together with additional water

a bit over 3 hours and the stew is done; I didn't take any picture when the stew is plated

My friend's family really enjoyed the stew. It has the unmistakeably aroma of a French stew. The carrots were very good that they provided all the sweetness the stew needed. There is no need to add refined sugar at all to balance the seasoning. The only seasoning I used was sea salt (and cracked pepper corn which isn't seasoning in the strict definition of the word).

The meat would be better if it was a cut with connecting tissues. A day later I went shopping and I came upon some thickly cut beef shanks with bone. Since I still have plenty of the vegetables left I decide to make another pot.

beef shanks with bone

 after about an hour of cooking; instead of basil I use thyme as I should in addition to other herbs

after 3 1/2 hour of cooking and it is done; the sauce is quite rich so there is no need for reduction; i just thicken it with a mixture of flour and water; it is not greasy at all

why an empty plate in the microwave oven? the moisture in the ceramic heats up the plate for serving

i served the stew with some yellow rice made with annatto seeds

the shank cut with the connecting tissue make a better stew; the meat is moist and silky with the softened ligaments

When I first making stew with mirepoix I was quite nervous thinking it must be a complex process. It turned out it is farthest from complex or precise. Having making two batches recently I realize it has many similarities to very good Chinese braised beef that uses fermented beancurds. Instead of beancurds this use red wine, which is the end product of fermentation.