Auberge De La Madones Beef Stew With Wild Mushrooms And Orange Recipes

WILD MUSHROOM AND BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Cut up the meat into medium bite size cubes and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Preheat a Dutch oven or a thick bottomed pot with vegetable oil until it starts to smoke.
• Preheat the oven to 325-degrees.
• Place the beef into the pot, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Allow to brown on all sides.
• In the meantime, wash and roughly chop your mushrooms.
• Check on the meat and remove once nice and brown. Set aside. You will have some fat and bits on the bottom of the pot. Let it be. This is your flavor.
• Add in the onions, a few cloves of garlic, a few stems of thyme, a bay leaf and mushrooms and toss to cover with the fat in the pot. Sautee for about 10 minutes.
• Add the meat back into the pot and sprinkle evenly with one tablespoon of flour. Mix to combine until none of the flour remains.
• Take about 1 cup of cognac and pour into the pot. NEVER POUR OUT OF THE BOTTLE! I flame can catch onto the bottle while pouring and the bottle will explode. You can either let it cook out as it or light the cognac on fire with a long match or if the pot is shallow enough, tilt it towards the flame so it will catch on fire. This is also called, deglazing.
• Once all the alcohol has cooked out, about 3 minutes, you will be left with a beautiful glazed meat.
• Pour in enough beef stock to cover the meat and mushrooms almost all the way. Adjust seasoning and cover with tightly fitting lid. Place into the oven for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, turn the heat down to 275-degrees and allow to cook for another 90 minutes or until meat is nice and tender.

AUBERGE DE LA MADONE'S BEEF STEW WITH WILD MUSHROOMS AND ORANGE

Steps:

• The day before serving the stew, combine the meat, carrots, onions, garlic, parsley, celery, bay leaves, thyme, marc, 3 1/2 cups of red wine and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonreactive bowl. Tie the peppercorns and cloves in a piece of cheesecloth, add to the bowl and toss the ingredients well. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, stirring once or twice.
• Let meat and vegetables return to room temperature. With a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the marinade. Drain well and pat dry on paper towels. Set aside. Strain the liquid into a large nonreactive heatproof casserole and add the cheesecloth bag. Set the vegetables aside.
• Add the remaining 2 cups of wine to the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes to reduce slightly. Remove from the heat, stir in the tomato paste and set aside.
• In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over high heat. When hot, add the beef in batches, sauteing until browned all over, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer when browned to the liquid in the casserole.
• Add the remaining butter and olive oil to the skillet. Add the reserved vegetables and saute until browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to the casserole. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Bring the liquid in the casserole to a simmer over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer, skimming occasionally, until the meat is very tender, about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Stir in salt and pepper to taste, the mushrooms and the orange zest and juice. Discard the cheesecloth bag with the peppercorns and cloves and the bay leaves. (The recipe can be prepared 2 to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat before serving.) Serve with potatoes, rice or pasta.