Simple and comforting, this braised beef recipe, with red wine and onions, is the perfect dish for fall and winter evenings! The result: a tender and delicious meat, slowly baked in the oven.
I had planned for January to bring you soup and salads recipes, to counter the holiday season food excesses.
But winter has caught up with me!
It’s been so cold the last few days, that I just crave good, hot and satisfying stews.
That’s why today I present my recipe for braised beef with red wine and onions.
Meat selection for braised beef
This recipe can be made with a blade roast, but I also like to use short ribs.
Although a little more fatty and more expensive than the blade roast, I find the short rib much more tender and tasty.
The magic of the onion soup bag
This recipe is really easy to make.
It’s inspired by pioneer cookbook author Jeannette Bertrand and her famous use of an onion soup mix packet, that is poured over the meat before it goes in the oven.
It’s crazy how adding this soup mix brings so much flavor to the recipe without having to add a lot of other ingredients.
Red wine, onions, garlic and herbs; it doesn’t take more to get a flavorful, comforting dish.
A few notes about the recipe
How much water should I add?
The amount of water mentioned in the recipe is indicative.
Since we want braised meat, not boiled or simmered, it’s important that the amount of liquid is about half the thickness of the meat.
Therefore, the amount of water you need to add to the recipe may vary depending on the cut of beef you choose.
Adjust the seasoning at the end of cooking
This recipe is already very salty given the addition of the onion soup mix.
So, it’s advised to adjust the seasoning at the very end of cooking.
What to serve this roast with?
This recipe is delicious with a green salad, roasted vegetables or green beans.
I often serve it with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
Another option is to add the baby potatoes along with the mushrooms, about halfway through cooking, so that they cook in the delicious meat and wine broth.
After 4 hours of slow cooking in the oven, the meat is tender and tasty. A real treat!
Oh, and do I need to add that leftovers make perfect lunches?
Braised beef with red wine and onions
Simple and comforting recipe of beef braised in red wine. We add a special ingredient to enhance the flavor in the blink of an eye!
Ingredients
- 3 beef short ribs or a blade roast (1.5 to 2 kilos)
- 2 French shallots, finely chopped
- 3 carrots, cut into pieces of about 2 cm
- 5 garlic cloves cut into strips
- 1 cup of red wine
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 1 packet of onion soup mix
- 1 cup of water *
- 1 dozen brown/crimini mushrooms, cut in half
- Butter and oil for cooking (about 1 tbsp each)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 ° F
- Meanwhile, melt the oil and butter in an ovenproof casserole dish (with lid).
- Season the pieces of meat with salt and pepper.
- Over high heat, sear the pieces of meat on all sides until well grilled. Set aside.
- In the same casserole, brown the shallots, carrots and garlic for about 5 minutes over medium heat. When the onions are translucent, deglaze with the red wine. Scrape the bottom of the casserole dish with a wooden spatula to loosen the juices.
- Return the meat to the pot. Add the thyme and rosemary.
- Sprinkle the bag of onion soup over the meat.
- Add the water. The amount of liquid should be half the thickness of the meat, so you may need less (or more) water.
- Bring to a boil, replace the lid and continue cooking in the oven for 4 hours.
- After 2h30 of cooking, add the mushrooms.
- When cooking is complete, remove the meat from the pot. Bone and degrease the meat before serving.
Notes
* The amount of liquid should be half the thickness of the meat so you may need less (or more) water.
For the salt: As this recipe is already very salty with the addition of the onion soup mix, I recommend only adding salt at the end of cooking, if necessary.
Accompaniments: this recipe is delicious with green vegetables, mashed potatoes or egg pasta. I like to add baby potatoes to the casserole dish along with the mushrooms to cook in the delicious meat and wine broth.
