A Soltice Stew

The essential winter braise.

It’s a technique as old as time.

And I don’t recommend getting through winter without it.

The essential winter braise. Call it beef stew, or a simplified take on beef bourguignon. It’s a bit of kitchen magic, really — and my favorite way to cook.

A transformation occurs as you take a humble and inexpensive cut of beef and turn it into something luxurious and dare I say, gorgeous.

A gorgeous beef stew. It’s a kitchen project but of the easiest kind. Sunday cooking, I like to call it. You can pour yourself a glass of wine as you sear the meat until it’s deeply browned and golden. This is where the first bit of magic happens, where the flavor begins.

Before you know it you’re placing it in the oven, now with a few precious hours to yourself. The oven doing the rest for you, quite literally. Soon enough your house will be perfumed in the most intoxicating scent…

I’ve used a boneless short rib here, which I feel elevates — but you could use chuck roast or go bone-in short ribs, which is just going to give even more flavor (you could withhold the stock as you’d essentially be making your own). The most important thing is to use a something tough and well-marbled, never lean or tender.

This version skews French, as I happened to have a nice Côtes du Rhône on hand, along with some mushrooms and parsnips for a purée. But you might also consider taking a gently Italian direction, using rosemary in place of the thyme, forgoing the mushrooms and serving it over a bed of creamy polenta. Mashed potatoes are a perfect partner, as would be any great loaf of bread.

Yes, it’s all adaptable and go-with-the-flow. An ideal dinner party dish, as it can be done completely in advance. I would serve this for a holiday dinner, 100%. Or just a slow and simple Sunday. A dish to celebrate the season, a bounty for cold, dark days.

Enjoy it on the solstice, enjoy it all winter long.

x Sarah

The Essential Winter Braise

A flexible, low-and-slow beef braise that rewards time more than effort. Built around boneless short ribs but easily adapted with other cuts, herbs, and accompaniments. Make it ahead — it only gets better.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds boneless short ribs (or other braising cut like chuck roast)

• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

• Grapeseed oil

• 2 large shallots, chopped

• 2 carrots, diced

• 3–4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 cup red wine

• 2 cups beef stock (I keep bouillon on hand for this) or water

• A few sprigs fresh thyme

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• Optional but recommended: Something fresh and green for garnish (Italian parsley, chives, tarragon would even work here)

Instructions

Season the short ribs very generously with salt and a bit of black pepper. Add a bit of oil to a hot Dutch oven (I have a Le Creuset braiser which has sides a bit shorter but you could use a regular Dutch oven) and sear until deeply browned on all sides. Remove to a plate.

In the same pot, cook the shallots and carrots until softened. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook briefly until the paste darkens.

Pour in the red wine and let it reduce by about half.

Return the short ribs to the pot and add stock or water to barely cover the meat. Add the thyme and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Taste the liquid, adding salt if necessary. The liquid must be well-seasoned as this is what will create the flavor inside of the meat. However as it will reduce, you don’t want to go overboard.

Cover the pot and cook in a 300°F oven for about 2½ hours.

Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms in butter and olive oil in a separate pan.

Add the mushrooms to the pot and return it to the oven uncovered for another 45–60 minutes, until the meat is very tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened. Remove the thyme and bay leaf before serving.

A few ideas for serving: a classic French pommes purée (essentially mashed potatoes using a potato ricer and a generous amount of butter and cream), parsnip purée (easy because you can use the Vitamix, simply cook parsnips with a potato or two in water until tender and blend with milk or cream and butter), a nice loaf of bread for dipping.

Serves 6.