Dijon and Brandy Beef Stew

If you ask me, cold rainy/snowy days demand warm, rich soups and stews. Which unfortunately take several hours to make and often don’t fit into my schedule since I don’t do most of the cooking. I also have a very selective palate when it comes to soups and stews – try as I might, I can’t find a tomato soup I actually enjoy, butternut squash soup is often too sweet. I find that beef stew is often just a watery, mushy, mess filled with the most dreaded vegetable I can think of … peas.

That was, until I stumbled upon this kicked up beef stew recipe on Smitten Kitchen – which calls for brandy and lots and lots of mustard. The fact that the recipe calls for nearly ¾ c. of mustard nearly turned me off at the start. Sure, I like mustard, but do I like it that much? And would my sister, who hates mustard and really all dressings/condiments like it?

As it cooks, the smell of the mustard wafts through the house, making it feel cozy and rousing our appetites. The end result was absolutely delicious and the mustard was not at all overwhelming. Deb at Smitten Kitchen served hers over noodles, but I know my family – and we went for garlic mashed potatoes and a side of challah bread.

Serves about 6 and takes about 3 hours total, but I cooked mine in stages and for a bit longer.

 Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen adaptation from NY Times

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp vegetable oil, as needed

1 large onion, finely diced

3 shallots, chopped

4 Tbsp butter, as needed

2 pounds beef chuck, in 1-inch cubes

2 Tbsp flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup brandy

2 tsp. beef boullion + 2 cups water

1/2 cup smooth Dijon mustard

4 Tbsp coarse Dijon mustard

4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into circular slices on an angle

1/2 pound mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned and eighte

1/4 cup red wine

Directions:

1. Heat 2 Tbsp oil over medium-low, and add onion and shallots. Cook until softened but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a large bowl. 
2. If necessary, add 2 tablespoons butter to the pan to augment fat. Dust beef cubes with flour, and season lightly with salt and more generously with pepper. Shake off excess flour, and place half the cubes in the pan. Cook over medium-high heat until well browned, almost crusty, on all sides, then transfer to a bowl with onions. Repeat with remaining beef. [Here I paused for about 2 hours because I got distracted and Boyfriend came over].
3. Add Cognac to the empty pan, and cook, stirring, until the bottom is deglazed and any crusted-on bits come loose. Add stock, smooth Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon coarse mustard. Whisk to blend, then return meat and onion mixture to pan. Lower heat, cover pan partway, and simmer gently until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. [I flipped the lead on and off and on and off, etc. because there were too many cooks in the kitchen.] [Don’t forget to stir your stew! I let mine sit untouched for quite a while and it stuck/burned to the bottom a bit – didn’t seem to affect the taste at all, but I would recommend stirring relatively frequently.
4. Add carrots, and continue simmering for 40 minutes, or until slices are tender. [At this point, I added about 1 cup of water since the stew had thickened quite a bit.] As they cook, heat 2 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat, and sauté mushrooms until browned and tender. Stir mushrooms into stew along with remaining mustard and red wine. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve hot.