Beef stew with mushrooms and chestnuts

I love the fruits that autumn gives us: chestnuts, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, pomegranates... After eating a lot of raw vegetables during the summer, I fancy more elaborate dishes and, if they are spoon dishes, even better.

Today, for example, I found some saffron milk caps at a good price at the greengrocer's and I thought they'd be great in a beef stew. I also added some chestnuts to put the finishing touch on the dish, and the result isn't going to leave you indifferent. When things are done with care and time, it shows. And this stew cooked in a casserole for more than 2 hours has its reward: my guests loved it.

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

Cocotte round Evolution Le Creuset

Ingredients (for 4 people)

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

Preparation

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

Cocotte round Evolution Le Creuset