Romantic Red Wine Braised Beef Shanks
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"My romance doesn't have to have a moon in the sky..."
Winter weather has FINALLY arrived in SoCal. For the longest time- okay, not THAT long- but since October I've been wanting to do some braising. Unfortunately, this past October was still so warm that I chose to sip sangrias rather than warm up the house with stew. So when the temperature finally started dropping, I started working on my braises. This is one of my favorite ways to use Cabernet Sauvignon (other than sip it, of course). Since Cabernet Sauvignon is such a popular wine, I figured it would be appropriate to come up with a dish that combines two of life's most delicious ingredients- meat and wine.
Over the years, I have grown to incorporate splashes of wine, mainly Chinese rice wine, here and there to up the flavor profile of my favorite dishes. In the case of Cabernet Sauvignon, I wanted to use a nice dry wine that would reduce into a slightly sweet, yet bold, rich, and deceptively savory melody of flavors. I chose to use a California Cabernet Sauvignon, since the alcohol content is a little bit higher. Mine was 14.5%. The higher alcohol content will reduce to a sweeter sauce.
Since this recipe does take quite a bit of time, don't forget to play some luscious, romantic French music while you work. I had Sous le dôme épais playing in the background as I made this. Like making music, you need to add some emotion and feeling to this work of art. After all, cooking is an art form...
This dish may sound all dramatic and stuff, but it's really just beef braised in red wine, broth, herbs, aromatics, and mirepoix. Cook it low and slow on the stove, and before you know it, your romantic, delicious dinner will be ready. Just don't forget to let it hang out in the refrigerator overnight to develop its flavors. It's kind of like working on a piece of music. After spending time getting to know your piece, practicing and working out the little sections, you need to put it aside for a while to ferment (Okay, no need to take this part so literally. The beef isn't actually going to ferment, folks). When you are ready to put it all together, it will feel completely different- more full bodied, more developed, and more cohesive. The day after making this braise, just reheat the entire thing on the stove, or uncovered in the oven (for browning) for 25 minutes and you'll be good to go.
Lastly, this dish is perfect for date night, or Valentine's Day dinner. Guys, I'm hollering at you! Nothing sexier than a guy who can play piano AND cook. Whew! Valentine's dinner ideas man.
Now onto the recipe.
"My romance doesn't need a blue lagoon standing by..."
The Cast
Beef Shanks ready for blanching. I like to start this in cold water. The impurities will release slowly
YUCK. Look at them nasties all over your beef shanks. You're not going to want that in your dinner. Especially not Valentine's dinner. So not hot...
Brown the onion
Push the onion to the edges of the pan, add a bit more oil to the pan and brown the garlic. Sorry about the orange-y lighting. The lighting up in our kitchen is so 70's lol
Now for the sexy part- deglaze with one cup of the wine. Make sure to scrape the pan gently to release any of the delicious garlic/onion bits that may have gotten attached to the pan
Next, start adding the thinned out doenjang and beef broth
Add the diced carrots, celery, and chopped leek
Add the beef shanks, rock sugar, black pepper, oregano, nutmeg, and bay leaf
After an hour and a half, remove the shanks and place into a separate cooking vessel
Add the second cup of wine and reduce away!
Add the shanks back in and cook for 20 minutes more. Then let it cool to room temperature with the lid on before placing in the refrigerator overnight
The Recipe
Suggested Music for playing while cooking: "Sous le dôme épais" from the opera Lakmé by Léo Delibes
3 lbs beef shank
2 brown onions
1 small leek
1 medium carrot
10 cloves garlic
10 ribs celery
1 bay leaf
2 whole nutmeg
2 tsp oregano
1/4 cup doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon, divided
5 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 small piece rock sugar
First, blanch the beef shank for 20 minutes to release the impurities. If your beef shank is one large piece, you can score it in several places so it will cook more quickly while braising.
Next, make sure to rinse the meat under cold water and rub off all traces of congealed blood and myoglobin (yuck!)
While the beef shanks blanch, dice the vegetables and brown the onions first. The onions do not need to be fully caramelized, just browned enough for a deeper and sweeter flavor. When the onion is browned, push to the edges of the pan, add oil, and brown the 10 cloves of garlic in the middle of the pan.
While the garlic is browning, slowly whisk in 1 cup of beef broth into the 1/4 cup of doenjang to thin it out
Once the garlic is browned, add 1 cup of the Cabernet Sauvignon to deglaze the pan. Cook for 2 minutes until the mixture comes to a boil, then add in the doenjang mixture and remaining beef broth and bring to a boil
Next, add the diced carrots, celery, and leek. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes on high heat.
Add the beef shanks, black pepper, nutmeg, oregano, bay leaf, and rock sugar. If you are using a California bay leaf, remove it after 30 minutes. If you are using a Turkish bay leaf, you can leave it in the whole time. Once it comes up to a rolling boil, lower the heat to the lowest setting and cook for an hour and a half.
After an hour and a half, remove the beef shanks from the pot. Meat should be somewhat fork tender at this point, but may still be slightly resistant. This is expected, as we will continue to cook the beef later.
With the lid off, begin to reduce the sauce for 10 minutes. At this point, it will still look like a broth
Add the remaining 1 cup of Cabernet Sauvignon and reduce for 10 more minutes. Add the shanks back in, lower the heat to the lowest setting, and braise for 20 minutes longer. The braising liquid should have reduced to a thick sauce. If not, you can turn up the heat and reduce the sauce until it reaches a gravy like consistency. Keep the lid off and set it aside to cool.
I tend to cook this dish a day in advance and let it hang out in the refrigerator to develop the flavors. It will taste better if left in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. When ready to serve, reheat in the pot, or place uncovered in the oven at 375 degrees to brown.
Serve with polenta or mashed potatoes
Mmm tomber amoureux
Don't forget to pour out a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon for you and your date to go along with this romantic Valentine's Day dinner. Guys, prepare to make elle tombe amoureuse...
"My romance doesn't need a castle rising in Spain.. my romance doesn't need a thing but you!"
XOXO,
The Bustling Cook