Italian Beef Shank Stew

This ultra-rich dish is obviously better suited for the winter months.  But, it’s so delicious.  My husband and I crave it all year long.  So, why wait?  A rainy day (ok, fine… it was only a few clouds) gives me a perfectly acceptable excuse.  Just wait until you get one whiff of that slowly reducing sauce of rich wine, herbs, spices and tomato mingling with browned beef.  And, I bet you won’t even need an excuse.  Beef shank adds that rich, silky extra-special “something”.  It turns this everyday stew into something much greater than the sum of its parts.

Saute Beef Chunks in Olive Oil

Remove beef chunk by chunk, then saute onions & carrots

Add Wine, Rich Beef Stock & Spices

Italian Beef Shank Stew
serves at least 4

2-3 lbs beef shank, trimmed and cut into chunks
2 Tablespoons flour
olive oil, as needed
1 large Vidalia onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled & sliced
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cup red wine
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups rich beef stock

Lightly toss beef chunks with flour, pat to remove all excess flour.  In a large dutch oven, saute beef chunks in very small amount of olive oil.  Allow each chunk of beef to brown before removing it from the pan.  When all of the beef has been browned on the edges, add another tablespoon of olive oil (if needed).  Sweat onions and carrots.  Then, add celery and spices.  Deglaze pan with red wine.  Reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Or, until the liquid has roughly been reduced by half.  Add tomato paste and stir until smooth.   Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.  Then, add beef stock and stir.

Place lid on dutch oven.  But, allow it to vent.  Place in a low oven.  Keep the stew at a gentle simmer for 3-4 hours, or until the beef is tender.

Serve this in a small bowl with a slice of grilled rustic bread.  Or, serve over buttered egg noodles.