Dreams (Beef stew)

Actual recipe

Beef stew

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
Grapeseed oil for browning the beef
1 lb. stew beef
1 large yellow or white onion, sliced into half-moons
1 large turnip, cut into thumb-sized chunks, about 1 ½ inches
2 large or 3-4 smaller carrots, cut into similar size as the turnips
3 large portobello mushroom caps, cut into 1-inch chunks, plus a handful of cremini or button mushrooms, quartered
A few springs of fresh thyme
1 heaping tablespoon flour
Optional: ½ cup whole grain like wheatberries or spelt berries
1 cup red wine
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
Water or beef or chicken stock

EQUIPMENT
Knife and cutting board
Heavy-bottom pot with a lid like a dutch oven
Tongs
Wooden spoon for scraping the bottom of the pot

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Adjust the oven racks to make room for the size of pot you have.

Salt and pepper the beef. Heat oil in your pot over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the beef in batches, leaving plenty of space between pieces so they brown, not steam (it will probably take 2 batches to brown 1 lb. beef depending on the size of your pot). If you have a fan to ventilate smoke, turn it on. Flip the beef when one side is brown to brown the other side, then remove to a heat-proof bowl. Adjust the heat to keep the meat from burning. Repeat with the next batch.

Add more oil if you need to to keep the pan from burning. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper, and the leaves of a sprig or two of thyme. Sauté for a few minutes until the mushrooms start to brown, then remove them to a separate bowl (you’ll add these back at the very end of the recipe). Once the mushrooms are out of the pot, add the onion, more salt and pepper, and sauté the onions until the edges brown, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the carrots and turnip and sauté until those start to brown too. Add the flour (and grains if you are using), sauté for a minute or two, and then add the wine. Let it bubble for a few minutes, scraping up as much of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan as you can. Add the beef and any juices that have collected in the bowl. Add a bay leaf, and water or stock to almost cover (a few bits of beef and veggies should be visible above the liquid).

Bring to a boil, cover the pot, and place in the oven for 3 hours. (At 2 ½ hours, you can check for doneness and add more liquid if needed; the meat should be falling-apart tender.) When the meat is as tender as you want it, remove from the oven, stir in the mushrooms and their juices, and adjust the seasoning to taste. If you want the stew a little thicker, keep simmering it; if you want it thinner, add more water. When it’s done to your taste, serve in a bowl on its own or with crusty bread and butter and a crisp salad.