Wine Or Beer Gives Spirited Boost To Beef Stew
Alcohol is the secret ingredient that brings distinctive mellow flavors to stews.
If used appropriately, you won't be aware of the alcohol content or the taste of the individual spirit. Instead, you'll have a stew with rich and complex flavors.
Wine may be the best-known enhancement for beef stew, bringing robust fruitiness to the dish. Scotch is also a fine ingredient for the pot. The smoky finish of good scotch is a delicious match for lamb as well as beef.
But if you've got a beer budget, don't worry. The brew also has its place in a stew. Beer's grassy wheat taste lightens a heavy beef concoction.
The best guide is to use the kind of alcohol you'd want to drink. Buy a moderately priced wine, beer, brandy, tequila, rum or hard cider, and experiment by adding a dash of spirits to your cooking.
No matter which spirit you use, the key is long, slow cooking to let the ingredients meld together. With time and heat, most, though not all, the alcohol evaporates, leaving the flavor.
In the following recipe, beef and onions are simmered with Belgian beer. I recommend using blonde ale, which is smooth, slightly sweet to dry, with a hint of spice. You'll find it in some supermarkets, natural food supermarkets and wine and spirits shops.
BEEF AND BEER STEW WITH PARMESAN TOASTS
>> 12 ounces top sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and cut into bite-size chunks
>> 2 tablespoons flour, divided
>> Salt and pepper to taste
>> 1 tablespoon canola oil
>> 1 medium red onion, sliced 1/3-inch thick
>> 1 garlic clove, minced
>> 1/2 cup Belgian golden ale or similar brew
>> 1 bay leaf
>> 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed thyme
>> 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
>> 1 tablespoon brown sugar
>> 1/2 cup beef broth
>> Parmesan toasts (recipe follows)
Place beef in a paper bag with 1 tablespoon flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Shake well to coat beef.
Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed pot. Add beef and brown over medium-high heat about 2 minutes per side. Remove beef. Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender, stirring frequently. Pour in beer and scrape up any browned bits in bottom of pot. Add bay leaf, thyme, vinegar, brown sugar and broth. Stir to dissolve sugar.
Reduce heat to low. Cover pot and cook stew for 1 hour. Spoon reserved 1 tablespoon flour in a bowl. Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons liquid from stew to make a paste. Stir flour paste into stew. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While stew is simmering prepare Parmesan toasts. Taste stew and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Discard bay leaf.
Spoon stew into 2 large bowls. Top each serving with 1 Parmesan toast.
Serves 2.
Parmesan toasts
>> 2 (1/3-inch thick) slices French baguette
>> 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
Place bread slices on a baking sheet. Top each slice with 1 tablespoon cheese. Place under preheated broiler, 4 inches from heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until the edges of the bread are golden brown and the cheese is hot.