Chianti Braised Beef Chuck

I tried braising meat for the first time tonight, and I’m happy to report that it was a great success! I regularly order braised short ribs and lamb shank when I go out to dinner, so I thought I’d try my hand at replicating one of my favorite restaurant meals at home. It was actually much easier than I expected. Though the entire cooking time was three hours, I was up for less than half that time, and in follow-up attempts, I’ll be even quicker. The results taste as good as they look. Best part: this costs next to nothing. I had most of the ingredients at home, besides the meat which was a cheap package of beef chuck from Shaw’s.

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless beef chuck
1 tbsp cornstarch or flour
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 sweet onions, sliced
3 minced garlic cloves
1 cups Chianti or other red wine
1 handful dried porcini mushrooms
3 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/8 cup tomato paste or 14-oz crushed tomatoes
1.5 cups beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cornstarch or flour over it and mix to coat. (This helps the meat retain its juices later.)
2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high and sear the beef until all sides brown (approx. 3 minutes). Remove meat from heat and place in bowl.

3. Use pan to fry onions at medium heat until the former is translucent. Meanwhile, soak porcini mushrooms in water to release flavor. Add garlic and let brown before adding other vegetables and the porcini mushrooms. (Retain the water the mushrooms soaked in.)
4. After vegetables have tenderized slightly, begin to add liquids (beef broth, wine, tomato paste or crushed tomatoes), one at a time with a slight pause in between each addition in order to allow slight thickening. Add the porcini water as well. Add rosemary and bay leaves.

5. Return meat to pan and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and let simmer for 2.5-3.5 hours.
6. Remove meat from heat. Boil remaining liquid until thickened to desired consistency. Serve over meat.