Wine Club 101

Book clubs were so 2016. Invite your girlfriends over for a cordon bleu evening with this step-by-step recipe and wine pairing.

The most important thing about wine nights with your girlfriends? The wine, duh. This week we’ve chosen two fabulous vinos from Flagstone Wines and created a recipe to match. You can thank us for making your evening easy peasy with 7 steps.

First you need the wines! Our choices? Flagstones’ Truth Tree Pinotage and their Tributary Chenin Blanc. Our choices for your wine tasting go perfectly with our Passports & Pérignon approved, boeuf Bourguignon.

                  

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
  • 4 packets unflavored powdered gelatin
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil
  • 25kg whole boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 3 steaks
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 600g carrots ; (250g) peeled and split lengthwise, (350g) cut into large dice
  • 250g yellow onions, peeled and split in half through the root
  • 4 medium cloves garlic, lightly crushed
  • 60ml cognac or brandy (optional)
  • 3 cups (750ml) of Flagstones Truth Tree Pinotage
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) soy sauce
  • 4 sprigs thyme, 3 sprigs parsley, and 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons (20g) all-purpose flour
  • 110g slab bacon cut into chunks
  • 450g mushrooms
  • 225g red onions, peeled
  • Minced flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, for garnish

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 180. Pour chicken stock into a medium bowl and sprinkle gelatin evenly all over surface, allowing each packet’s worth of gelatin to soak up stock before sprinkling next one on. Set aside.
  2. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season beef all over with salt and pepper and add to Dutch oven. Cook, turning occasionally, until beef is well browned on 2 sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer beef to a rimmed baking sheet.
  3. Add split carrots, halved onions, and garlic to Dutch oven and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
  4. Add brandy, if using, and boil until alcohol has nearly cooked off, about 2 minutes. (If not using brandy, proceed with next step.)
  5. Scrape chicken stock and all gelatin into Dutch oven. Add red wine, fish sauce, soy sauce, and herbs and bring to a simmer, then lower heat to maintain simmer. Meanwhile, cut beef into 2-inch chunks and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add flour and stir until beef is evenly coated in a floury paste. Add beef and any accumulated juices to Dutch oven. Transfer to oven, cover with lid partially open, and cook until beef is starting to become tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
  6. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their liquid and browned, about 12 minutes; add oil as needed if pan becomes too dry. Add diced carrots and pearl onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
  7. Remove stew from oven. Using tongs, fish out and discard large pieces of carrot and onion. Using a ladle, skim off and discard accumulated fat on surface. Add reserved sautéed carrots, onions, and mushrooms to stew, return to oven, and continue to cook, uncovered, until beef is tender, about 30 minutes longer.

Tributary Chenin Blanc : R98.00 per bottle and R588 per case 

Truth Tree Pinotage : R98.00 per bottle and R588 per case 

Available from Norman Goodfellows and Ultra Liquors stores nationwide. Flagstone Wines can be purchased online from www.wine.co.za