RECIPE: Beef Stew with Freekeh and Mushrooms

Braising meat in my Le Creuset Dutch oven is a favorite thing to do in the fall. I love how you get all the flavor and fun happening on the stovetop, with browning and fond at the base of the pan, and all that goodness simmers low and slow in the oven for a couple of hours while you go do your chores (or watch Netflix. Whatever. This is a no judge zone.) I also have been playing with alternative grains for years, and now that my husband’s older and needs to watch his sugar levels, fibrous grains are on the top of the shopping list. Freekeh is like farro, but from much younger, unripened wheat. This makes this wheat full of nutrients. It’s rubbed and cracked after a roasting, giving it a nutty couscous kind of vibe. If you want a rundown of alternative grains, I have a great post all about grains 101.

This is a nice weeknight meal but you need to get it started early enough in the day so it can cook low and slow, and get that beef nice and fork-tender. Chuck roast is GREAT but it needs time. So remember that when you pencil this baby in the menu plan. It’s worth the forethought and effort, believe me, You’ll feel like a french maid in the country braising your stew in a heavy-lidded pot, as you warm up your kitchen and fill it with the delicious aroma.

• Beef Stew with Freekeh and Mushrooms

• AuthorFlora CaputoCategory
  Yields6 ServingsQuarter (1.5 Servings)Half (3 Servings)Default (6 Servings)Double (12 Servings)Triple (18 Servings)
   1 8-ounce package cracked freekeh (1 cup) Original Freekeh or Rosemary Sage Freekeh work great

   2 lbs beef stew meat, cubed (we prefer chuck roast, which we hand trim and cut into large cubes.)

   4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

   32 oz beef broth

   16 oz mushrooms, sliced

   1 cup onions, cut into wedges

   2 cups baby-cut carrots, or diced carrots (add more if you like)

   1 cup red wine

   ½ cup tomato paste or substitute canned diced tomatoes

   4 garlic cloves, minced

   3 bay leaves

   1 tsp paprika

   ½ tsp onion powder

   ½ tsp dried mustard

   ¼ tsp cumin

   1 tsp dried thyme

   1 tsp dried rosemary

   1 dash red pepper flakes

   salt and pepper to taste
  1

  Turn the oven on to 325˚.

  2

  In a large, oven-proof pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium. Toss in beef and brown on all sides. The beef doesn't have to be cooked all the way through, just browned on the outside to seal in moisture. Once browned, remove beef and set aside. In the same pot on medium heat, add a little more oil, toss in onions, carrots, and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until onions are translucent. Add the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with the spoon, scraping up all the browned bits and 'fond" accumulated at the bottom of the pan. Add beef back into the pot. Add tomato paste, spices, uncooked freekeh, and broth, stirring. Cover with lid and cook in the oven for about an hour. Check-in after 1 hour and give a little stir. The liquid should be almost fully absorbed by the freekeh. Place the lid back on and continue cooking an additional 30 minutes. The beef should be fork tender and the grain cooked through. If the beef is still tough, keep cooking in 10-minute intervals, stirring lightly in between, until the beef is fork-tender. Serve warm in bowls.

  

  Ingredients

   1 8-ounce package cracked freekeh (1 cup) Original Freekeh or Rosemary Sage Freekeh work great

   2 lbs beef stew meat, cubed (we prefer chuck roast, which we hand trim and cut into large cubes.)

   4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

   32 oz beef broth

   16 oz mushrooms, sliced

   1 cup onions, cut into wedges

   2 cups baby-cut carrots, or diced carrots (add more if you like)

   1 cup red wine

   ½ cup tomato paste or substitute canned diced tomatoes

   4 garlic cloves, minced

   3 bay leaves

   1 tsp paprika

   ½ tsp onion powder

   ½ tsp dried mustard

   ¼ tsp cumin

   1 tsp dried thyme

   1 tsp dried rosemary

   1 dash red pepper flakes

   salt and pepper to taste

  Directions

  1

  Turn the oven on to 325˚.

  2

  In a large, oven-proof pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium. Toss in beef and brown on all sides. The beef doesn't have to be cooked all the way through, just browned on the outside to seal in moisture. Once browned, remove beef and set aside. In the same pot on medium heat, add a little more oil, toss in onions, carrots, and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until onions are translucent. Add the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with the spoon, scraping up all the browned bits and 'fond" accumulated at the bottom of the pan. Add beef back into the pot. Add tomato paste, spices, uncooked freekeh, and broth, stirring. Cover with lid and cook in the oven for about an hour. Check-in after 1 hour and give a little stir. The liquid should be almost fully absorbed by the freekeh. Place the lid back on and continue cooking an additional 30 minutes. The beef should be fork tender and the grain cooked through. If the beef is still tough, keep cooking in 10-minute intervals, stirring lightly in between, until the beef is fork-tender. Serve warm in bowls.

  RECIPE: Beef Stew with Freekeh and Mushrooms

  IngredientsDirections