Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew
- 1/4 pound salt pork, diced
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 2 to 4 tablespoons butter, as needed
- 2 pounds beef chuck, in 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons flour
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter, as needed
- 1/2 cup Cognac
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons Pommery mustard
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into half-moon slices
- 1/2 pound mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned and quartered
- 1/4 cup red wine
- Place salt pork in a Dutch oven or a large heavy kettle over low heat, and cook until fat is rendered.
- Remove solid pieces with a slotted spoon, and discard.
- Raise heat, and add onion and shallots.
- Cook until softened but not browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a large bowl.
- If necessary, add 2 tablespoons butter to the pan to augment fat.
- Dust beef cubes with flour, and season with salt and pepper.
- Shake off excess flour, and place half the cubes in the pan.
- Cook over medium-high heat until well browned, almost crusty, on all sides, then transfer to a bowl with onions.
- Repeat with remaining beef.
- Add Cognac to the empty pan, and cook, stirring, until the bottom is deglazed and the crust comes loose.
- Add stock, Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon Pommery mustard.
- Whisk to blend, then return meat and onion mixture to pan.
- Lower heat, cover pan partway, and simmer gently until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Add carrots, and continue simmering for 30 minutes, or until slices are tender.
- As they cook, heat 2 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat, and saute mushrooms until browned and tender.
- Stir mushrooms into stew along with remaining mustard and red wine.
- Simmer 5 minutes, then taste, and adjust seasoning.
- Serve hot.
salt pork, onion, shallots, butter, beef chuck, flour, salt, butter, cognac, beef stock, dijon mustard, mustard, carrots, mushrooms, red wine
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017085 (may not work)