Braised Steak

Almost everyone loves a good steak and great comfort foods. One of my favorite comfort foods is pot roast, an American classic; slow braised beef in a flavorful liquid. Why not merge the two using a cheaper cut of steak that will be tenderized by cooking low and slow. Add some vegetables; carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, potatoes and we have a dish almost anyone will love. And remember our braised soups post we could take any leftover braising liquid and make soup. I like to use half of the of the carrots, celery, onions and all of the mushrooms for the first part of the braise and add the rest to cook at the end so we have some veggies with texture. Let us maximize savory with tomato paste, Worchester sauce, oyster sauce and my secret weapon parmesan rind. Lets us practice proper culinary techniques, browning the beef in bacon fat, using a mirepoix and tomato paste then deglazing with red wine and beef broth.

Ingredients:

 2 - 4 medium sized chuck eye steaks

 bacon lardons

 2 large onions diced

 4 stalks celery diced

 4 medium carrots diced

 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

 1 - 2 ounces fresh mushrooms 

 1/2 pounds baby potatoes

 2 Tbsp. tomato paste

 1 Tbsp. dried thyme

 1 tsp. dried Italian herbs

 1 bay leaf

 1 cup red wine

 2-3 cups beef stock

 parmesan rind (optional)

 oyster sauce

 Worchester sauce

 olive oil

 salt and pepper to taste

 splash of sherry vinegar

Procedure:

 1. Chop a small amount of bacon into strips (lardons). In a preheated large heavy bottomed skillet add a little olive oil and the lardons and saute to render the fat. Season the steak and sear in the hot oil on both sides. Remove the steaks, finely chop half of the mirepoix and saute. Add some tomato paste and brown. Deglaze with some red wine then add the stock.  Add the mushrooms, spices, sauces, parmesan rind and herbs and cook on low heat until the steaks are tender.

2. When the steak is almost tender add the remaining mirepoix and the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are cooked and serve.

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