Paris is Always a Good Idea

I'm currently reading My Life in France by Julia Child and I can honestly say...j'adore Paris. The food, the architecture, and the language. Simply inspiring. Le sigh. 


After watching the movie Julie and Julia, I was motivated to try my hand at cooking the quintessential French Stew, Beef Bourguignon. Of course a somewhat simpler version thanks to the folks at Food and Wine Magazine. It's a perfect dish for a cold Sunday afternoon. I will definitely be adding it to my winter repertoire.


Ingredients

• 3 1/2 tablespoons of pure olive oil
• 4 pounds of beef chuck, cut into 2 1/2 inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 3 cups full-bodied red wine
• 3 sage leaves
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 bay leave

Directions
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large enameled cast-iron casserole. Add one-third of the meat and season with salt and pepper, then brown well on all sides over moderately high heat, about 5 minutes. Adjust the heat if the bits on the bottom of the casserole get too dark. Transfer the meat to a plate. Repeat 2 more times, using 1 tablespoon of olive oil and half of the remaining meat for each batch.


When all of the meat has browned, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to the casserole. Add the onions and cook, stirring, over moderate heat until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the wine and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until the wine is almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Repeat 3 more times, adding 1/4 cup of the wine each time and using a total of 1 cup of wine.


Return the meat to the casserole and add the remaining 2 cups of wine, the sage, cloves and bay leaf. Cover and simmer over low heat until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours. Skim the stew and season with salt and pepper. Remove the sage, cloves and bay leaf and serve in shallow bowls over egg noodles.