Beef Stew in Cabernet Sauvignon

By Katherine Niven
Katherine Niven is the Director of the Culinary Arts Department at Cabrillo College. She is a graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, has an M.S. in Food Science, and is a consulting chef to BARGETTO WINERY.

Ingredients:
3– 4 boneless stew meat-cut into 1 1/2″ squares
flour, salt and pepper
3-4 T. cooking oil
2 cup sliced onions
1 cup sliced carrots
4 cup Bargetto California Cabernet
2 cup beef or chicken stock
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled, diced coarsely
2 cup canned stewed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 t. dry thyme leaves
salt
2 T. cornstarch dissolved in 2 TB. cold water

Procedure:
1. Dry the meat then coat in flour, knocking off excess.
2. Salt and pepper the meat liberally.
3. Heat oil in a large stewing pot.
4 When the oil is very hot but not smoking, add the meat in a single layer. (Do not crowd the meat or do in two batches if necessary).
5. Brown the meat 3-4 minutes stirring frequently until the meat is brown on all sides.
6. Take the meat out and reserve.
7. Add 2 T. oil to the pan and add the onions and carrots.
8. Saute the vegetables until golden, 5-10 minutes stirring as needed.
9. Add some wine to the stew pot, scraping the browned bits and pieces off on the bottom of the pan. 10.Add the meat back in along with the rest of the wine, the stock, garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, and thyme. If the meat is not entirely covered with liquid, add more stock.
11. Bring the stew to a simmer and cover.
12. Simmer 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the meat is very tender when pierced by a fork.
13. Take the meat out of the stew pot and reserve.
14. Pour the rest of the liquid through a strainer into another pot.
15. Degrease the cooking liquid.
16. Taste the sauce. If the flavor is too weak, boil down the liquid to concentrate.
17. Salt and pepper to taste.
18. Mix cornstarch and water together.
19. Add this to the stewing liquid, and bring to a boil, stirring until thickened.Add more or less cornstarch slurry depending on your desired thickness.
20. Add the meat back in. If you would like to add vegetables to the stew, microwave some sliced carrots, saute some mushrooms, or add some frozen peas at the last minute.