This Julia Childs standby was a favorite of mine in Europe but I hadn't made it in a long time and it seemed perfect as cold weather comfort food. It was better than ever! Whenever I compare Julia's version to others floating around, I always come back to hers. Some cut the beef into chunks and dredge it with flour, add a carrot or other aromatics. Julia's recipe gives you unadulterated beef and onions braised in beer.
I used a 3-lb chuck roast, which wasn't easy to cut into uniform 2x4x1/2-in slices as called for in the recipe, but the odd, ragged pieces were fine, too. Brown the beef in a film of oil and set aside. Add 1-1/2 lbs of sliced onion to the skillet and cook about 10 min., until lightly browned. Remove from heat, add salt and pepper and 4 crushed garlic cloves. In a casserole, place a layer of beef sprinkled with salt and pepper, spread a layer of onion, then repeat. Heat up 1 c. of beef stock in the skillet and add to the casserole. Pour in 2-3 c. of lager beer until meat is just covered, add 2 Tbl of light brown sugar and a herb bouquet of parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer on top of stove, cover and put into preheated 325-degree oven for 2-1/2 hours, taking care to keep liquid at a gentle simmer. When the meat is tender, drain the cooking liquid into a saucepan, degrease it, and stir in 1-1/2 Tbl arrowroot or cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbl wine vinegar and cook 4 to 5 min. Pour the sauce back over the meat and heat up together when ready to serve.
The first night we had buttered tagliatelle with the carbonnades and the second night, parsley potatoes from the farmer's market. The WF chuck was super tender and the rich, oniony broth set off by the vinegar and herb bouquet gave it a different flavor than a traditional brisket recipe. We had a very nice Rioja with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment