After a long week of recipe testing and cooking for the family, last Sunday I felt like I needed a little break. Lucky for me, my husband came to the rescue and cooked for us this hearty and very flavorful beef stew with red wine and hoisin sauce!
The recipe is adapted from a 2002 Bon Appétit original and remains a family favorite. The secret for this recipe is that it has an equal, one-to-one ratio of meat to onions and benefits from a long, slow cooking with red wine and hoisin sauce. The hoisin gives the dish its signature semi-sweetness and imparts a deep, rich, brown color to the beef. The recipe calls for Cabernet Sauvignon, but I used a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, which is a more savory, spicy wine that goes particularly well with this stew.
What to serve with it
We accompanied this delicious dish with hot, buttered egg noodles, to which I added lemon zest and parsley just before serving. Creamy mashed potatoes or even a Parmesan polenta would also go very well with this mid-winter dish.
Even if the quantity of meat for this beef stew with red wine and hoisin sounds like too much, I would still encourage you to make the whole recipe, as it reheats very well and you can enjoy it again later in the week, along side your favorite roasted vegetables. Making a hearty stew like this is a great plan for a chilly weekend and I know you are going to enjoy it as much as we do!
- 4 TBSP. olive oil
- 3½ Lbs. boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed, cut into 2½-inch pieces
- --- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3½ cups onions, chopped
- 2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon
- 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
- ½ cup hoisin sauce (available in the Asian foods section of the supermarkets)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lb. slender carrots, peeled, cut diagonally into 1-inch lengths
- 1 TBSP. cornstarch mixed with 1 TBSP. water
- 2 TBSP. fresh parsley, chopped
- Place the meat on paper towels and pat it dry. Sprinkle it generously with salt and pepper and set it aside.
- Place a heavy, large pot (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat on your stovetop. When it gets hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then add the meat. Sauté the meat until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes (depending on the size of your pot and the amount of meat, this step should be done in batches so as to ensure that all the meat gets browned evenly-do not crowd the pot). Remove the meat from the pot and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium; add 2 more tablespoons olive oil to pot. Add the onions and sauté them until they are golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
- Return the meat to the pot and mix it into onions. Add 1 cup of wine, the tomatoes with their juices, the hoisin sauce, and the bay leaves. Bring the stew to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer the stew for an hour, stirring occasionally.
- Add the carrots and the remaining 1cup of wine. Cover again and simmer the stew for another 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Uncover to pot and continue cooking until the sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes longer.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the cornstarch mixture, and simmer until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Transfer the stew to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
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It must be very tasty. What is hoisin sause? ???
Hoisin sauce is a rich, fragrant and slightly sweet sauce used in Chinese cooking and it is commonly added to stir fries and also used as a dipping sauce. It is delicious!
This looks so yummy! Save me some 🙂
It is delicious! Will make it for you next time you come! ?