Beef stew with mushrooms and chestnuts

I love the fruits that autumn gives us: chestnuts, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, pomegranates... After eating lots of raw vegetables during the summer, I feel like eating other types of more elaborate dishes, and if they are spoon-fed, even better.

Today, for example, I found some chanterelles at a good price in the fruit shop and I thought they would be great in a beef stew. I also added some chestnuts to complete the dish and the result will not leave you indifferent. When things are done with care and time, it shows. And this stew prepared in a cocotte for more than 2 hours has its reward: my guests loved it.

The cocotte you see in the photo is the new colour of the season, mist grey . I find it very elegant and looks very nice presented on the table. Christmas is just around the corner, so don't forget to put it on your letter to the Three Wise Men!

Evolution Le Creuset round cocotte

Ingredients (for 4 people)

• 750gr beef for stewing cut into cubes, I used shank
• Flour
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 500ml good quality red wine
• 250ml chicken broth
• A few sprigs of rosemary
• A few sprigs of thyme
• 12 chestnuts
• 200gr chanterelles
• 1 ounce of dark chocolate
• Olive oil
• Salt

Elaboration

1. Salt the beef pieces and coat them with flour, shaking off any excess. Pour a drizzle of olive oil into a cocotte and brown the beef. Once browned, remove it.
2. In the same oil (you can add more if you consider it necessary), sauté the julienned onion and the chopped garlic cloves together with a pinch of salt for 20 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally with a spatula .
3. Add the meat back to the cocotte along with the red wine, chicken stock and sprigs of thyme and rosemary. Cook covered over low heat for 1 ½ hours.
4. Meanwhile, peel the chestnuts. To do this, make a cut in them with a knife and put them in the microwave 4 at a time for 20 seconds. Do this in batches because they are easier to peel when they are hot.
5. When the meat has been cooking for 1 hour and a half, add the chestnuts to the stew and cook for another 20 minutes over low heat.
6. Clean and cut the mushrooms and sauté them with a pinch of salt in a pan with a dash of olive oil for a couple of minutes over high heat. Add them to the stew and let the whole mixture cook for another 10 minutes. Also add the ounce of dark chocolate and adjust the salt if necessary.
7. I accompanied the mushroom and chestnut stew with some fried white potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Evolution Le Creuset round cocotte