Boeuf a la Mode
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INGREDIENTS 4 to 5 pounds chuck or rump beef, bottom round, or any other suitable pot roast
1 pint red wine
1 small bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Pinch of thyme
8 peppercorns
Vegetable oil or fat
2 cups strong beef stock or 1 can undiluted bouillon
2 or 3 bouillon cubes
1/4 cup brandy
2 diced onions
3 carrots, cut up fine
2 or 3 sprigs parsley
Handful of celery leaves
1-1/2 to 2 pounds cracked soup bones
2 bunches carrots
16 small white onions
6 stalks celery
2 generous tablespoons butter
Flour or arrowroot, optionalHave your butcher lard with hard suet a 4 to 5-pound chunk of rump beef, bottom round, or any other suitable pot roast. Place this meat in a deep glass or earthenware container and pour the following over it: - 1 pint red wine, to which has been added, 1 small bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon oregano, 1 pinch of thyme, and 8 peppercorns. Marinate for 24 hours, turning the meat occasionally.
Four hours before serving, remove the meat from the marinade, reserve the marinade, dry thoroughly, and brown well in hot vegetable oil or fat. While the beef is browning, add the following to the marinade: - 2 cups strong beef broth or 1 can undiluted beef bouillon and 2 bouillon cubes. Heat the marinade to the boiling point.
Place the beef on a trivet in an earthenware soup kettle or deep casserole. Pour over it 1/4 cup good brandy and light. When the brandy is burned out, pour the boiling marinade over the roast. Add 2 diced onions, 3 carrots, cut very fine, 2 or 3 sprigs of prsley, a handful of celery leaves, and 1-1/2 to 2 pounds of cracked soup bones. Seal the cover on with waxed paper and simmer slowly for about 3 hours.
1-1/2 hours before serving prepare 2 bunches of carrots, each cut lengthwise into quarters or eighths, 16 small white onions left whole, and 6 stalks celery cut to match the carrots in size. Melt 2 generous tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and add the carrots. Cook them very slowly for 10 minutes. Now add the onions and the celery, continuing to cook them very slowly, turning frequently so that they do not brown but become slightly softened.
Three quarters of an hour before serving remove the meat and the soup bones. Strain the sauce. Replace the meat in the kettle and add the vegetables and the strained liquid. Taste and season to taste. Add 1 more bouillon cube if extra flavor and salt are necessary. Cover again and continue simmering until done.
A few minutes before serving transfer a portion of the sauce to a saucepan; thicken for gravy with flour or arrowroot stirred in carefully until well blended. Serve the meat on a platter surrounded by the vegetables and serve the gravy separately in a sauce boat.
Makes 6 servings
NOTE: Strain the balance of the sauce and set aside to jell for future use. This may be poured into small mounds, to be turned out and served with cold sliced meat as a left-over.