Beef Stew (Julia Child)

I love stews of all kinds, particularly those made with beef since I think that of all meats, it marries best with other flavours. Beef also gives off appetizing aromas as it simmers away, filling the kitchen - if not the whole house - with the promise of good nourishing food.

3 lbs trimmed boneless stewing beef, cut into 1½" chunks
1 Tbsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. black peppercorns, crushed
2 fresh thyme sprigs or ½ tsp. dried thyme
3 cups onions, thinly sliced
1½ cups carrots, thinly sliced
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
¼ cup + 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
4 fresh Italian plum tomatoes, chopped
2 bay leaves
¼ cup water
1 cup strong beef stock or broth
red wine, such as Chianti or Zinfandel
all-purpose flour, as needed (optional)

Toss beef pieces in a large bowl with salt, crushed black peppercorns, and thyme. Add onions, carrots, garlic, and olive oil. Toss thoroughly, then toss again with red wine vinegar. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Dry beef pieces with paper towels and place on a plate. Transfer vegetables and any accumulated marinade to a large skillet over moderate heat and cook until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large heavy frying pan over moderately high heat. Add beef in batches and cook until well browned all over. Return meat to bowl and scatter cooked marinade vegetables on top, along with tomatoes and bay leaves.

Discard fat from pan used to brown meat. Deglaze pan with water and simmer for a moment. Using a wooden spoon, scrape flavourful brown bits from bottom of the pan into liquid and pour over beef. Pour in beef stock or broth and enough good young red wine to almost submerge ingredients. Cover and refrigerate stew overnight; the wine marinade will only improve its flavour.

Preheat an oven to 300°F (150°C/130°C fan, Gas Mark 2).

Bring the stew to a simmer on the stove, then transfer to the preheated oven; the stew should just barely bubble. Cook until the beef is fork-tender (take an occasional small bite to be sure); about 2½ hours. You can stop the cooking at any point and continue it later if needed. Let the stew cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Using a spoon, skim solidified fat from surface of stew. Reheat stew, then strain hot cooking liquid into a large nonreactive saucepan. Press on cooking vegetables, which will have disintegrated considerably by this point. Taste sauce for strength and seasoning and boil down rapidly if it tastes weak; you should have about 2½ cups.

If the sauce is too thin, thicken it with a slurry: for each cup of sauce, you'll need 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour blended in a bowl with 1½ Tbsp. cold beef stock. Whisk dribbles of hot sauce into slurry, then whisk slurry mixture into sauce. Simmer for several minutes, then pour warm sauce over warm stew and simmer for several minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Cook's Notes:

• Choose flavourful cuts of meat, such as chuck and round, that will benefit from long, slow cooking and won't fall apart.
• Don't try to rush when you're browning meat for a stew. It's a very important step that will take at least 10-15 minutes to do correctly.
• Make sure you dry the meat thoroughly on paper towels before browning it and don't crowd the pan. Damp meat won't brown, nor will pieces that are too close together in the pan.

Make Ahead: You can keep the stew warm in a covered casserole or a hot plate for about half an hour. If dinnertime is still some hours away, let the stew cool, then press a piece of plastic wrap over its surface and put it in the refrigerator. Rewarm it slowly.