Shelly's Recipe

BEEF BRAISED WITH RED WINE

Category: Beef

1/4 cup olive oil
8 oz button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered if large
5 strips bacon or pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 lbs boneless beef rump roast cut into 1-inch pieces
Flour for dusting meat
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp flour
3 cups dry red wine
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup canned imported Italian tomatoes with their juice, put through a strainer or food mill to remove seeds
1 bay leaf
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1-2 stalks celery, finely minced
10 oz pearl onions, peeled or 1 medium onion, finely minced
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp parsley, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. In a 5-quart Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Generously season beef with salt and pepper and dust with flour.

Add 1 tbsp oil to pot and brown meat, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per batch (add up to 1 tbsp oil per batch as needed); transfer to plate.

Pour off all but 1 tbsp oil. Add bacon to pot and cook over medium until brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomato paste, cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add flour, cook 30 seconds, Add wine, stock, tomatoes, bay leaf, garlic, and meat.

Bring to a boil, cover and transfer to oven. Cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and add the vegetables. Return to oven and cook until meat is very tender and vegetables are tender, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. 15 minutes before end of cooking remove, add mushrooms to pot. Remove from oven and stir in butter. Serve topped with parsley, if using. Serves 4

NOTE: Add a bit more wine or broth if it becomes to thick.