This recipe has been adapted from Julia Child’s original “The French Chef Cookbook“. This was the same beef stew that was made “semi-famous” in the movie “Julie and Julia”.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 Lbs sirloin strips, cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1-2 Cups beef stock
- 1-2 Cups red wine
- 3 Cloves garlic, smashed
- Olive oil fro browning meat
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 12oz package white mushrooms, sliced
- S&P to taste
- Flour for dredging meat (optional)
- 1/2 Bag of frozen pearl onions (optional)
Directions:
This is optional: Dry the meat with paper towels then dredge meat in flour. Be sure to shake off the excess. This will give you a gravy that is somewhat thick. Skipping this step will give you a gravy that is clear.
In a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, brown all sides of the meat in olive oil a few pieces at a time. Do not crowd the pan or the meat will steam and will not brown correctly.
Return all the meat to the pan after it’s browned. Add a 50/50 mixture of beef stock and red wine almost to cover the meat. Normally about 1½ cups of each, but you may need a little more.
Add smashed garlic, bay leaf and a little S&P. Cover tightly and simmer on top of the stove for 2½ hours. The liquid should just about be boiling. You can also cook in a 325º F oven for 2½ hours.
While cooking, cook the mushrooms in a frying pan till browned. Add the mushrooms and pearl onions (if wanted) to the meat mixture at the end just to warm them.
Serve over fat egg noodles or white rice. Or for a real treat, serve in a pastry bowl.
Serves 6-8
Here’s the recipe directly from the cookbook, if you would like to try the original Julie
Child version:
