Hearty IMPLICO Beef Stew
Hearty and Satisfying, and rich with flavor. This stew calls for an entire bottle of Implico (or another dry red wine), unaccompanied by water or bouillon or anything else, to create the deeply complex sauce for the dish. It takes a couple of hours to prepare, but it’s worth it in the end!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided`3 lbs chuck steak/roast, cut into 1 in cubes
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 1/4 cups finely chopped onions
- 1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 1 (750ml) bottle of dry red wine (Derby's IMPLICO suggested)
- 3 whole bay leaves
- 1 5oz piece of pancetta
- 2 1/4 cups of water, divided
- 1 large onion, cut into wedges
- 15 cremini mushrooms
- 5 large carrots, peeled and chopped into large pieces
- Sugar
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large cast iron skillet, met butter in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Arrange the meat in the skillet in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally until browned on all sides (8 minutes).
- Add the chopped onion and garlic and reduce to moderate heat. Cook until the onion is softened, stirring occasionally (5 minutes). Add the wine, bay leaves, more salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover the skillet and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 ½ hours, until meat is very tender.
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cover pancetta with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 -20 minutes. Drain pancetta and slice into 1 in by ½ in cubes.
- In a large skillet, combine pancetta, onion, mushrooms and carrots. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ¼ cup of water, and a large pinch each of salt, pepper, and sugar. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until almost all the water has evaporated (15 minutes). Uncover and cook over high heat for an additional 4 minutes, tossing until the vegetables are tender and nicely browned.
- Stir the vegetable/pancetta mixture into the stew, top with a little fresh parsley, and serve!