Beef Braised in St. Clement Cabernet

• Vegetable Oil
• 1 – 4 lb. chuck roast
• 1 T butter
• 3 T chopped yellow onion
• 2 T chopped carrot
• 2 T chopped celery
• 1-1/4 c. St. Clement Cabernet
• 1 c. beef broth or bouillon
• 1-1/2 T chopped Italian tomatoes
• Pinch of thyme
• 1/8 tsp. marjoram
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Pour enough oil into a heavy, medium-sized skillet to just cover the bottom. Turn on the heat to moderately high, and when the oil is quite hot, slip the meat into the pan. Brown well on all sides.

Transfer the meat to a platter and set aside. Choose a casserole with a tight fitting lid just large enough to contain the meat. Put in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, the butter, and the chopped vegetables, and over moderate heat sauté the vegetables lightly, stirring from time to time. The vegetables should wilt and color lightly but not brown.

Turn off the heat and put the vegetables in the casserole with the meat. Tip skillet and with a spoon, draw off and discard as much of the fat as possible. Add the wine, turn the heat to high, and boil for less than a minute, scraping up and loosening the browning residue stuck to pan.

Add the broth or bouillon to casserole. It should come 2/3 up the side of the meat; add more if it doesn’t. Add the tomatoes, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper.

Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, then cover the pot and place in the middle level of pre-heated oven. Braise for about 3 hours, every 20 minutes turning meat and basting with liquid, making sure it is cooking at a steady, slow simmer. If not, regulate the heat accordingly.

At times, either because the cover doesn’t fit tightly or because of the texture of the meat, you will find all the liquid has evaporated or been absorbed. If this happens before meat is done, add 3 or 4 tablespoons of warm water. The meat is cooked when it feels very tender at the pricking of a knife or fork. Remove the meat to a cutting board. If the cooking liquid is too thin and has not reduced to less than 2/3 cup, place the casserole on the stove and boil the liquid over high heat until it has thickened, loosening any residue that may be stuck to the pot. Taste the sauce, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Slice the meat and place on a warm platter, with the slices lightly overlapping. Pour all the sauce over the meat and serve immediately.

Back to Beef Braised in St. Clement Cabernet