West Village Beef Stew

Directions

1. Pat dry and rub the meat well with the spice and salt mixture at least twenty minutes before you plan to start cooking.
2. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
3. Brown the meat in two or three batches in a Dutch oven. Remove the meat and pour off the juices into the bowl with the meat.
4. Cook the onions over medium heat, adding a bit more fat if necessary, until translucent. Then add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about twenty seconds.
5. Push the onions and garlic aside and cook the tomato paste in the bald spot in the pan for about thirty seconds, or until it appears dry. Then deglaze the pan with the wine, still over medium heat.
6. Add one cup of the coffee, the bay leaves, celery, red pepper flakes, if using, and stock, with a good pinch of salt, and stir well to combine. Add the meat to the pot, then cover it tightly and place in the middle of the oven.
7. Cook, without lifting the lid, for about an hour and a half.
8. Test the meat. If it comes apart easily with a light jab of your fork, take the pot out of the oven. If it doesn’t, sample a tiny bite. Is it tender and juicy? If not, let it cook for another fifteen minutes, then test it again. If it’s still not done, cover, return to the oven, and test again every fifteen minutes until it is. It’s easy to overcook a beef braise, so take care.
9. Remove the meat and onions from the sauce immediately. Add the carrots to the sauce and cook briskly over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just tender. Then add the remaining coffee and turn off the heat.
10. Knead the butter and flour together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk it into the sauce a bit at a time off the heat, then return the pot to the heat and cook for a minute or two until thickened.
11. Discard the celery pieces and bay leaves, then stir in the parsley and some freshly ground pepper. Return the meat and vegetables to the pot, add the lime juice, and give it a good stir.
12. Enjoy!! ;o)
13. N.B. It's important -- especially to prevent the beef from drying out -- not to cut the pieces too small. They'll get smaller with cooking, so don't be afraid to cut them into really large chunks (even 2" or more). It will be so tender that even if the meat ends up being larger than bite-sized, it can easily be cut with a fork. Also, use a good, marbled cut of beef, for the juiciest, tastiest stew..
14. If making this ahead of time, remove the meat from the sauce to let the sauce cool before returning the meat to it for storage. If you don’t, the meat will continue to cook, to the detriment of the stew.
15. I used two very small limes, so you may only need one medium or large one. The lime juice cuts the sweetness of the caramelized tomato paste, carrots and onions. Add a bit, stir the stew and taste. Then add more, to taste, if necessary.
16. I recommend decaf, because I'm sensitive to caffeine, especially at night. If that's not a problem and you prefer to use regular coffee, please feel free to do so. ;o)