Beef stew in red wine

Beef stew . A recipe that leaves us with great memories, a marinated meat stewed in red wine . One of those meat recipes that take time and dedication but then we remember her and how rich she was. Its name says it all, we need a good time of maceration in wine, along with its marinade, and then slow cooking like most beef stews .

But the process is very simple. Just follow the step by step and the result will be more than satisfactory. Of course, you have to spend your time. It is an appropriate recipe for when we have guests at home, for example the weekend, and we look for that dish to succeed before them at the table. The truth is that he really wanted her, but he still hadn’t found time for her. On the kitchen shelves I have many cookery and recipe books. In one of them, that of ” 1080 cooking recipes “, by Simone Ortega, we find this succulent dish at number 732. Taking a look at her recipe I have prepared this piece of beef stew .

In the marinade, I have used aromatic plants, such as thyme and bay leaf. You can replace them with others according to your tastes. Rosemary would also go with pearls for this stewed meat. With the mini urban garden that I have on the balcony, I always have these “herbs” on hand to flavor the dishes.

The beef will be very tender, with an intense flavor and at the right point. The reduced sauce is one of those dark, forceful ones, perfect to “spit” on it with a good bun bread. In our case, we have bought a Cea Bread (Ourense), from those artisans and with a traditional flavor. I hope you like it and dare to prepare this recipe with foundation. That the guests arrive a little earlier for the aperitif, and you will see how they fall in love with the smell of rich stew that floods the entire house. 

Preparation of beef stew in red wine

1. We will ask the butcher to cut the meat for stew. If you buy the whole piece, cut it into pieces 4-5 cm. sideways. We wash the carrots, peel the onions and the garlic cloves.
2. In a large casserole, add the chopped meat and the marinade: an onion in quarters, the carrots in halves, the whole cloves of garlic, a sprig of fresh parsley, a sprig of fresh thyme and the 2 bay leaves.
3. We pour the wine and vinegar. Mix and cover the casserole. Let it rest in a cool place (not in the refrigerator) for a minimum of 8 hours. In this way, the meat will soften and take on the flavors and aromas of the marinade. After the resting time, remove the meat and vegetables. We drain.
4. In a large saucepan, poach an onion (not the marinade) in extra virgin olive oil and add the diced bacon. We cook 10 minutes over medium heat. We throw the meat. We raise the fire and brown it on all sides, to seal it.
5. The vegetables of the marinade: we cut the onion in julienne and the carrots in slices. We add them to the casserole and fry them, along with the meat. We pour half a liter of the wine from the maceration, straining it. We cook 15/20 minutes over medium heat, so that the alcohol evaporates and reduces.
6. Finally, we add 500 ml. of meat broth (better if it is homemade) and mix the liquids, taking the casserole by the handles and doing “swing”. We cook over high heat, and when the first bubbles begin, we lower over low heat. Since we want it to be done very slowly, we are going to leave it for about 2 hours, slowly.
7. The time will depend on the type of meat and the size of the pieces. If you use beef or beef, the cooking time should be increased by approximately 1 hour. The optimum point is when the meat is very tender.
8. In the last hour of cooking, we start preparing the mashed potatoes and we have it ready just at the same time. We serve the casserole on the table very hot. A good option is to pour the stew into a clay pot, to give a more traditional touch to the presentation on the table.

We will accompany the meat with a basic mashed potato. On the blog you have the recipe for homemade mashed potatoes . It is a matter of cooking it while making the meat stew, to have it ready at the same time, and serve it all together on the table.

This red wine beef stew is itself an ideal main course. The wine that I have used to cook, also accompanied on the table, a mencia from the Ribeira Sacra (Ourense). Remember that a wine that you would not put on your table is not a good wine to cook either.

I hope you liked this recipe for meat stew in red wine