Entrée – Beef
Braised Chuck Steak with Herbs & Root Vegetables

This recipe was featured on "You're the Chef" episode #312. Buy this episode from WVIA.

Yield: four portions

Ingredients:

Beef
4 lb.	chuck steak, trimmed and cut into large pieces
as needed	all-purpose flour
as needed	salt
as needed	ground black pepper
1/4 c.	salad oil
Root Vegetables
1/4 c.	fresh garlic, chopped
1 lb.	small cooking onions, blanched, skins removed
1/2 lb.	baby carrots
1/2 lb.	small turnips, peeled and quartered
1 lb.	baby red potatoes, skin on, washed
2 c.	whole canned plum tomatoes with purée from can
2 c.	dry red wine
1 each	sprig, fresh rosemary
1 each	sprig, fresh thyme
1 each	sprig, fresh marjoram
1/4 c.	fresh chopped parsley
4 each	bay leaves

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Beef procedure:
Cut the beef into large chunks, trimming any excess fat or grizzle that you may wish to discard. Do not cut the beef into stew size pieces. Dredge the meat in the flour seasoned with the salt and pepper.

Heat a heavy sauté pan over high heat. Add the oil and allow it to get hot, so ripples appear in the oil. Add the pieces of beef a few at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Brown the beef thoroughly on all sides. Repeat this process until all the beef is browned, lowering the heat slightly so that any flour that comes off of the beef does not burn in the bottom of the pan.

Root Vegetables procedure:
Add the garlic and onions to the same pan and sauté until they are nicely browned. Add the remaining vegetables, red wine, tomatoes and purée and stir, scraping the bottom of the sauté pan to remove all of the particles of cooked browned meat and onion from it. Add the herbs and stir them into the liquid.

Transfer all the ingredients, including beef, to an ovenproof roast pan. Cover the pan tightly and bake at 300°F for about 3 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender when it is stabbed with a fork.

Sauce procedure:
Remove the beef, potatoes and most of the onion to a serving dish. Discard the herb stems and bay leaves. Place the liquid into a small saucepot and reduce it (if necessary) over high heat until there is just enough for the amount of meat you are serving.

Season the finished sauce with salt and black pepper and pour it over the meat and vegetables.