Wine and food for winter
 
As winter tightens her icy grip on the Valley, Big, Bold Sassy reds are what will warm you up on a winter’s night. This time of year always makes me crave hearty stews and plenty of calorie filled dishes to chase the cold away.
 
Here is a recipe for beef stew and a list of wines that will help replenish your body and warm your soul.
 
Because I’m an amateur home-cook, I still use my cookbooks to generate ideas and learn techniques and that's how I approach most recipes including this one for stew. First, I look up the dish in several cookbooks and read about the essential ingredients and what cooking techniques are involved. You'd be astonished to learn the number of ways there are to make the same dish.
Next, I see what's on hand in my refrigerator and pantry and put together a shopping list. The beauty of a preparing stew is the flexibility it gives you with ingredients -- it's another "what's on hand" dish.
This recipe is for beef chuck (from the shoulder) and vegetable stew, but you could easily substitute veal, pork, or chicken. Because stewing tenderizes tough pieces of meat, you can save a buck by purchasing less expensive cuts from the rump, shoulder, and legs.
Remember, all meat is essentially muscle and those muscles less used by the animal will be more tender but typically less flavorful. Meat from the more exercised muscles will be tough but have more flavors. So it's important to use the proper cooking technique with the specific cut of meat.
This is an easy recipe to prepare but involves a lot of prep time. It's best to get all the ingredients ready before you start. The French call this " mise en place"(MEEZ ahn plahs) or "everything in its place." This is how professional chefs do it and I suggest you incorporate it into your cooking practice.
This recipe also calls for wine and I suggest you use decent one. Remember, "never cook with a wine you wouldn't drink!"
Here is a basic list of ingredients, I like to clean out the refrigerator when I make this stew so feel free to add any items that you have left over like peppers, corn or herbs you might surprise yourself with a new flavor combination.

• 8 slices of bacon ( I prefer peppered )
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 leeks, chopped and well rinsed (use the white part and an inch or two of the green)
• 6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch julienne
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 2 1/2 cups of beef stock
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced (wild mushrooms if available)
• 8 -10 red new potatoes, quartered
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 ½ cups of red  wine

 

1. Cook the bacon in a large sauté pan until the fat is rendered. Remove the crisp bacon and transfer it to a large cast iron or heavy-bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid. (approximately 5-6 quarts)
2. Sauté the beef in the same pan until all sides are browned. Don't crowd the beef or it will steam and not brown properly, so cook it in batches if necessary. Season with a little salt and pepper. When finished, transfer to your large cooking pot.
3. Add the onions, leeks, carrots to the sauté pan, and cook over medium high heat for approximately 8 minutes. Remove the vegetables and reserve in a large bowl.
4. Add the butter to the sauté pan and sauté the mushrooms over medium high heat for approximately 10 minutes. Transfer to the reserved vegetables.
5. Add the wine to deglaze the sauté pan, then the beef stock, and then whisk in tomato paste and rosemary. Cook for a couple of minutes and add to the pot with the meat and bacon.
6. Add the potatoes and garlic to the meat, bacon, and cooking liquid. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.
7. Add the reserved vegetables, half the chopped parsley and continue cooking until the meat is tender. (approximately 30-45 minutes)

Now comes the fun part. Choosing a Wine that will go with this rustic beef stew.  I love a big almost jammy Zinfandel with a bit of alcohol to cut through the fats from the bacon and butter but that doesn’t mean that a cabernet, merlot, or syrah won’t work just as well.
 
Try one of these wines and let me know how it turns out.
 
Dashe 2003 Zinfandel
Robert Rue Wood Road 2004 Zinfandel
 
Havens 2004 Merlot
Hall 2004 Merlot
 
DuChamp 2003 Syrah
Jellyroll 2005 Syrah
 
Stratton-Lummis 2004 Cabernet
Provenance 2005 Cabernet