February proves a great time to step away from the protein shakes and render beef protein into a bowl of goodness. A simmering kettle warms up the house and nourishes the recipients.
Our local market offers a remarkable array of beef perfect for long, slow simmers—cuts such as beef shanks, cheeks, short ribs, and oxtails. Less expensive than beef steaks and much less tender, these cuts are packed with collagen, so the slow, moist environment of a covered pot rewards the cook with silky pan juices loaded with flavor.
Beef for braising or stewing should have ample fat and connective tissue that will break down as it cooks. Avoid packages labeled “stew meat,” because that doesn’t offer enough information. Stewing meat from a super lean cut, such as a rump roast or round, will have little flavor and will dry out during cooking. Therefore, it’s preferable to purchase a nicely marbled chuck roast and either ask the butcher to cut it into stew-sized pieces (2 inches) or do it yourself.
This winter, beef oxtails, alongside beef shank, have our household’s vote for a hearty braise. Both cuts take a bit longer to cook than beef chuck, but the taste is worth the wait. Look for oxtail pieces crosscut at least 2 inches thick. The larger the piece’s diameter, the more meat it contains and the easier it is to eat.
Slow-cooking offers the opportunity to squeeze a bunch of vegetables into the dish. Carrots, parsnips, celery, and fennel all benefit from the time and add flavor and a touch of sweetness to the pot. A couple handfuls of hearty greens, added just before serving, pop the color of the finished dish.
Like most stews and braises, flavor improves when the dish is cooked in advance. Refrigerate covered for up to three days. Remove any congealed fat from the surface if you wish. Reheat before serving, then stir in the greens.
In our family, not all eaters enjoy meat served on the bone. Let the stew cool and then use a paring knife to pull the meat from the bones. Cut the larger pieces into bite-sized bits to return to the pan juices.
If you choose to remove the meat from the bones, you can easily stir in cooked pasta, such as rigatoni, for a one-dish meal. Or serve the mixture over cooked egg noodles, rice, orzo, or mashed potatoes. The recipe for mashed potatoes that follows, seasoned with plenty of garlic, sage, and lemon, makes a great accompaniment to the braised beef. Make the potatoes shortly before serving so they stay creamy.
Slow-Braised Beef With Green Olives and Greens
Beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch chunks, can replace the oxtails and/or beef shanks. Reduce cooking time in Step 4 by about 30 minutes. If you choose to cook in a slow-cooker in Step 4, you’ll need about eight hours on the low setting.
Serves 6
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of dried rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano leaves, crushed
- 4 1/2 to 5 pounds of beef oxtails and/or center-cut beef shanks, each at least 1 1/2 inches thick or boneless beef chuck cut into 2-inch chunks
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil for high-heat cooking, such as expeller-pressed canola oil, grapeseed oil or sunflower oil
- 2 medium-sized yellow onions (12 ounces total), chopped
- 5 medium-size carrots (12 ounces total), trimmed, peeled, chopped
- 2 ribs of celery or fresh fennel or a combination, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
- 1 cup of dry red wine (or more broth)
- 4 cups of low-sodium beef broth or water or a combination
- 1 can (28 ounces) of crushed tomatoes
- 2 lemons
- 6 fresh sage leaves or fennel fronds, optional
- 1/4 cup of flour
- 1 1/2 cups of pitted green olives, such as Manzanilla or Castelvetrano
- 4 to 6 cups of trimmed dandelion greens or baby spinach
- Mashed potatoes (see recipe) or cooked pasta, for serving
- Chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, cilantro or a combination
Mix salt, pepper, sage, and oregano in a small bowl. Pat meat dry, and sprinkle all over with salt mixture.
Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Heat a very large (5- to 7-quart) Dutch oven over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Add oil, then add meat in a single, uncrowded layer. Cook, turning once, until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove to a plate as the meat browns, and add other pieces to brown all meat. Remove all meat to the plate.
Add onions to pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes. Stir in carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook 2 minutes. Stir in wine and scrape bottom of pan well. Heat to a boil, and simmer to reduce wine by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth and tomatoes. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the yellow part of the lemon rinds and let them fall into the pan. Stir in sage leaves.
Return meat to pan. Be sure to push down into the liquid. Cover tightly and place in the center of the oven. Cook, stirring once or twice, until meat is fall-off-the-bone tender, about 3 1/2 hours.
Use tongs to remove meat to a cutting board. You can remove meat from bones and cut it into bite-sized pieces if desired.
Heat the pan juices to a boil over medium heat. Dissolve flour in 1/2 cup of water. Whisk flour mixture into pan juices. Cook and whisk until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in olives. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Return meat to pan. (Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days, if desired.)
Just before serving, stir in greens until wilted. Use a ladle to serve the mixture over mashed potatoes. Garnish with chopped herbs.
Mashed Golden Potatoes With Sage and Lemon
Serves 6
- 3 pounds of medium-sized golden potatoes, scrubbed clean
- 3 cloves of garlic, halved
- Salt
- 1 1/4 cups of milk, half-and-half, or cream
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, softened
- Finely grated lemon rind from 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon of rubbed sage
- 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
Peel potatoes, if desired. Cut potatoes into 2-inch chunks. Put into a large saucepan and add cold water to cover potatoes by 1 inch. Add garlic and 1 teaspoon salt to pot.
Heat to a boil over low heat, reduce heat to medium. Simmer, partly covered, until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes.
Drain potatoes, then return them to the pan. Set pan over lowest heat. Make a hollow in the center of the potatoes and add milk and butter. Mash with an old-fashioned potato masher until as smooth as you prefer.
Use a fine grater to grate the yellow portion of the lemon rind into the pot. Stir in sage and pepper. Mix well. Remove from heat. Cover potatoes with a piece of waxed paper on their surface. Cover the pot. Potatoes will keep warm up to 30 minutes.
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