And so I cook.
MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
Title: Shin of Beef Stewed in Red Wine
Categories: Beef, French, Meat, Stew
Yield: 6 Servings
6 oz Smoked bacon or salt pork
1 ea Large onion
1 tb Olive oil
5 lb Shin beef off the bone
2 ea Cloves garlic
1 ea Bouquet garni
8 oz Red wine (or more)
1 ts Salt
8 oz Beef stock or water
Cut the bacon or salt pork into small cubes and put them, with a
tablespoon of olive oil, into a heavy and fairly wide iron or
earthenware pot. When the bacon fat runs, add a large sliced onion
and stir about until slightly brown. On top, arrange the shin of
beef, off the bone, into thick pieces. Add the cloves of garlic,
crushed but not chopped, and the bouquet garni (either one of the
"instant" ones, or a small bunch of parsley, thyme and bayleaf, tied
up with a string). Pour in a large glass of red wine (about 8 oz) and
let all come to a fast boil for 4-5 minutes. Add about the same
amount of beef stock or water, and allow to boil again. Add salt. .
Cover the pot with paper or foil and a well-fitting lid. Transfer to
a very slow oven, 290 degrees F or gas mark 1, and in about 3 hours
it will be cooked. Or you can half-cook it one day, remove it, and
finish it the next. Serve with potatoes or rice to soak up the sauce.
(Egg noodles also work well if you thicken the sauce slightly.) This
dish can also be simmered *very* slowly on top of the stove.
MMMMM
…The latter approach makes it easier to take the lid off every twenty minutes and go “Oh, wow, just smell that!” But for the moment, I’ve stuck it in the oven. It’s a pretty afternoon: we’ll walk down to the pub and have a glass or so…then wander back, boil some potatoes, smash ’em up, and have the stew over. (To the anguished cries of cats, I’m sure: they were yelling loudly enough while I was cooking.)
Happy birthday, sweetie…
