Cabernet Sauvignon

After being away from the blistery northeast for 2 weeks, I was inspired this weekend to cook a hearty beef stew.  My recipe was a blend of recipes from some of my favorite chefs including Daniel Boulud (Cafe Boulud Cookbook), Tyler Florence (Tyler’s Ultimate), and Irma Rombauer (Joy of Cooking).

Beef Stew

start with 3 pounds of cubed top sirloin
brown meat in a large dutch oven
remove meat and add diced aromatics (leek, onions, carrots)
sautee aromatics in the beef fat
add back the meat along with beef stalk and 1.5 bottles of reduced red wine
braze for 2 hours, then add blanched carrots and peas and sauteed pearl onions

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

toss potatoes in olive oil and fresh rosemary
sprinkle salt and pepper
bake until skin is browned and crispy

Don’t judge a book by its cover – even though this stew doesn’t look very refined (is stew ever really refined?) it was rich and tasty and we all enjoyed it.

We paired the beef stew with a 2007 Rombauer Cabernet Sauvignon.  We decanted the wine for over 2 hours to help aerate it.  This Cab was fruit forward and not overly tannic – just enough tannins to hold up to the stew.

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