Beef Bourguignon

Our neighbors bought a cow, well, the meat from a cow at least. And filled their freezer with it. Apparently they ran out of room for the lesser cuts of meat and offered us a few packs. So, I have four packs of short ribs in my freezer. Mostly they are fat and bones - very little meat. I tried braising them whole on the bone and was very unimpressed. So, tonight I tried cooking them a different way. I cut all the large layers of fat and bone off and then I cut the meat into large cubes. Four pounds of short ribs yielded only one pound of meat. And then I made this . . .

Yum! The short rib meat turned out so tender and succulent. I have discovered how I'm going to cook the other three packs still in my freezer. Just like this. I highly recommend it. Yum. And since it is my own recipe I'll give it to you here. I served this over Creamy Mashed Potatoes from Cooking Light. (I halved the recipe.) The leaner potatoes were the perfect vehicle for such a rich stew. A green salad with homegrown tomatoes and homemade vinaigrette rounded out the meal. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 pound trimmed and cubed short rib meat (or beef chuck)

1 onion, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1/4 pound white button mushrooms

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/3 bottle red wine such as a Cabernet Sauvignon

1/2 cup beef broth

1 bay leaf

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon sea salt

ground pepper to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:

Heat a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil. Brown the meat on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the Dutch oven and saute the onion, shallot, carrots, and mushrooms for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste and saute for another minute. Pour in the wine. Then add the broth, bay leaf, thyme, garlic and return the meat to the pot. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat to low. Cook on low heat for about one and a half to two hours. Remove lid. Add salt, pepper, and sugar and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Serves 4.