Weekend Recipe: Modern Beef Burgundy

When El Niño finally hits the Southland, this is exactly the kind of recipe you want for those days indoors. This America's Test Kitchen stew can be refrigerated for up to three days, so you can tackle the recipe on a Saturday and eat it on a Sunday.

Modern Beef Burgundy
Serves 6 to 8

1 (4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast
Salt and pepper
6 ounces salt pork, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed, halved if medium or quartered if large
1½ cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
1 tablespoon sugar
?? cup all-purpose flour
4 cups beef broth
1 (750-ml) bottle red Burgundy or Pinot Noir
5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 onions, chopped coarse
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
1 garlic head, cloves separated, unpeeled, and smashed
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
10 sprigs fresh parley, plus 3 tablespoons minced
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
½ Teaspoon black peppercorns

Toss beef and 1½ teaspoons salt together in bowl and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 500 degrees. Place salt pork, 2 tablespoons butter, and beef scraps in large roasting pan. Roast on upper rack until well browned and fat has rendered, 15 to 20 minutes.

While salt pork and beef scraps roast, toss cremini mushrooms, pearl onions, sugar, and remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and 1 tablespoon together on rimmed baking sheet. Roast on lower rack, stirring occasionally, until moisture released by mushrooms evaporates and vegetables are lightly glazed, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer vegetables to large bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

Remove roasting pan from oven and reduce temperature to 325 degrees. Sprinkle flour over rendered fat in roasting pan and whisk until no dry flour remains. Whisk in broth, 2 cups wine, gelatin, tomato paste, and anchovy paste until combined. Add onions, carrots, garlic, porcini mushrooms, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and peppercorns to pan. Arrange beef in single layer on top of vegetables. Add water as needed to come three-quarters up side of beef (beef should not be submerged). Return roasting pan to oven and cook until meat is tender, 3 to 3½ hours, stirring after 90 minutes and adding water to keep meat at least half-submerged.

Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to bowl with cremini mushrooms and pearl onions; cover and set aside. Strain braising liquid through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Stir in remaining wine and let cooking liquid settle, 10 minutes. Using wide shallow spoon, skim fat off surface and discard.

Transfer liquid to Dutch oven and bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat. Simmer briskly, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens to consistency of heavy cream, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in beef and mushroom-onion mixture, cover, and cook until just heated through, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in minced fresh parsley and serve.