Braised Beef and Olives

We have Nick Stellino and his cookbook Mediterranean Flavors to thank for last night's take on beef stew. Loaded with the flavors of Provence, it fairly sings of the land of sun and sea where olives grow in abundance and garlic, rosemary, sage and thyme keep them company. Not just any old stew - "the flavor sensation provided by the simple addition of bacon and olives makes a surprising difference to familiar beef stew. The powerful aroma from the herbs and wine is also heightened by the contrast of bright orange zest."

I had a problem though. I couldn't decide whether to follow tradition and serve all that rich, wine gravy with parsley potatoes or bring it all home to North America and choose dumplings. You'll see what won out and thanks to Bisquick those dumplings were feather light and perfectly moist. Bonus!

 
As usual, I have a couple of comments to make - hey it's my blog and I'm allowed to have an opinion aren't I?

1. Be sure to pick a well marbled meat because it'll make your stew taste much better. I thought I'd try using brisket just because it was there and looked pretty darn good (and it was cheaper). It was a big mistake. I usually make my stew out of chuck roast that I cut into cubes myself as it has a much better flavor and texture. My bad - I won't be doing that again.
2. Take care to really brown the meat well. It makes a huge difference in the flavor profile, and the color of your finished product.
3. Use a good quality beef stock. If you're using purchased stock rather than homemade, take it up a notch by adding a can of undiluted beef consomme (Campbell's of course). It'll really up the flavor quotient!
4. Add the orange zest just before you serve the dish. If you stir it in too early, the flavor of the zest will overpower everything else. You only want a hint of that fresh citrus zing.

Braised Beef and Olives (from Mediterranean Flavors by Nick Stellino)    

1-1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cubed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper

3-1/2 tablespoons flour, divided

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

10 garlic cloves, halved

2 medium onions, chopped

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried sage

2 bay leaves

2 slices thick bacon, diced

3/4 pound mushrooms, quartered

1 cup dry red wine

5 cups beef stock

1 cup pitted green olives, quartered

1-1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 350. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat until shimmering. Season beef with salt and pepper. Place 1-1/2 tablespoons flour in a zip bag. Add meat and toss well to coat meat. Brown meat in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan and to brown meat well on all sides. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add garlic, onions, thyme, rosemary, sage, bay leaves, bacon and mushrooms. Cook stirring often until the onion is translucent and the mushrooms are soft (about 5 minutes). Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of flour and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and cook stirring constantly until wine is reduced by half. Keep stirring because the flour will thicken the sauce. Add beef stock and olives and bring to a boil. Cover pot and place in oven. Cook for 1 hour. Remove cover after one hour and cook for additional 30 to 45 minutes, until beef is very tender.

Dumplings:

2-1/4 cups Bisquick

1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

2/3 cup milk

Using a fork, mix parsley into Bisquick, then add milk and stir until just moistened. Remove stew from oven and place on medium heat at a fast simmer (low boil). Using a quarter cup measure or ice cream scoop, scoop dumpling dough onto top of stew. Lower heat so stew is just simmering and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover pot and cook for another 10 minutes. Garnish with orange zest and serve. Download Braised Beef and Olives

Hint - to reduce the carbs, just forget about making the dumplings as the dish is delicious without them!

Comments

[Nanan]

William happens to be home - this is what he thinks: All kind of food sound very tasty when you are hungry, I am now. I am original from Colombia (South America) but my grand parents were from Lebanon, and one of those good tasty foods that I love are those with gravy. Gravy allow the hungry guy to mix it with rice, potatoes or bread (pita bread, the one that i like)and bring the good flavor into the mouth plus all the textures of the ingredients. Awesome.

I think he wants me to make this...

[June]

Lea - this would be amazing with some of your homemade pita bread and William is right. Gravy rules!

[Mags]

I'm all for anything with gravy too. Especially dumplings. Looks delicious June.

[June]

Mags - I'd trade you for that panini sandwich you posted today. YUM!

[pam]

This sounds crazy good!!!

[June]

Thanks Pam. It is kinda' different but in a good way.