Beef Braised with Chianti and Coffee

Beef Stew - Gluten free recipe!

2 pounds of beef chuck
olive oil
2 large Spanish onions
1-2 cloves of garlic
fresh oregano leaves and fresh rosemary
salt and pepper
Chianti
Black coffee
water

While your friends are adding flour to thicken the gravy, you will be reading a book with your feet up, waiting for a really tasty beef stew that contains no thickeners. To make a good stew, make sure to use high-quality stewing beef - the kind that will get tender with cooking! Beef chuck is the right cut. The meat must have some fat and connective tissue if you want a tender stew.

This recipe may sound unlikely, - braising beef in red wine and coffee - but it is just delicious. Serve it with braised potatoes and garlic.

First, brown 2 pounds of beef chuck, cut in large cubes - 1.5 inches - in 2 Tablespoons of good olive oil. Remove the browned beef cubes to a stew pot.

Next, chop up 2 large onions and brown them in the drippings in the pan - about 8 miutes on medium heat. Then add 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced, and 1/2 tablespoon EACH of minced fresh oregano leaves and fresh rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and frshly ground pepper. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of Chianti (Italian red wine) , 1 cup of black coffee and 1 cup of water. Pour all of this mixture in with the beef. Put a top on the stew pot and cook over low heat for about 2 hours - you will want to be checking to make sure the stew does not burn, and adding extra water as needed. Keep checking from time to time.

When the meat is tender, (check by sticking a fork in it), take the top off and reduce the sauce to the amount you like - some people like a lot of sauce, some people don't.

This recipe is based on one from Tastes of the Pacific Northwest by Fred Brack and Tina Bell, 1988.

© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca