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I HATE Stew.. but not Stew with Pickles, Capers & Red Wine Oh My!!!!!


So truth be told... My mother and I hate Stew type foods. Neither of us enjoy a cooked carrot, or the meat in a gooey lump, ack, but my Daddy on the other hand LOVES Stew. The other day Derek took out a package of Beef Cubes and as I looked at the package I thought OH NO Stew?? Well, the good thing was my parents were coming over that night so Derek and I can go to dinner, so I got out of eating it, but I felt bad that my mother was going to be left with the meal. I decided to really find a new recipe that I thought she would enjoy. I went to the Italian GODDESS Marcella Hazan to see which direction she will lead me.... and this was it, and she changed my opinion on Stew. Let me just add.... I am not a fan of pickles in my food, nor am I a fan of capers AT ALL, but the medley was simply perfect. My mother who had brought her own dinner to my house once she found out we were eating stew, tasted the stew was pleasantly surprised and saved her dinner for the next days lunch!!!

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds beef, preferably chuck, cut into 2 inch cubes
1/2 cup flour, spread on a plate
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 pound pancetta, cut into thin strips but bacon can be used as well
1 medium carrot chopped fine about 1/2 cup
1 medium celery stalk chopped fine, about 1/2 cup
3 tablespoons very finey chopped small pickles such as cornichons ( I used 1 dill pickle)
2 tablespoons capers chopped very fine
Salt
Black Pepper
2/3 cup not too tannic red wine (Chianti or Merlot)

1. Put vegetable oil in a small skillet and turn on the heat to high. Dredge some of the meat cubes in flour, no more at one time that can fit loosely in the pan; and as soon as the oil is hot enough to sizzle when a piece of meat is slipped into it, put the cubes that you dredged in flour into the skillet
2. Turn them for a minute or so until they become colored a dark brown on all sides, then transfer them to a bowl, using a slotted spoon or spatula. Dredge some more of the beef cubes in flour, and repeat the procedure until you have browned all the meat. (The reason you don't want to turn it in flour all at one time in advance is that the coating would become soggy and prevent you from obtaining a crisp surface on the meat.)
3. Choose a saucepan that can easily contain all the beef cubes; put into it the olive oil, the chopped onion, and the pancetta strips, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the onion becomes colored a rich gold; then add the carrot, celery, pickles, and capers. Cook, stirring from time to time, for 3 or 4 mnutes.
4. Add the browned beef cubes, salt, and several grindings of black pepper, and turn the meat over 2 or 3 times. Add the wine, let it simmer for about 1 minute, then lower the heat to minimum and set a cover slightly ajar over the pan. Cook, occasionally turning the ingredients over, until the meat feels very tender when prodded with a fork, about 1 hour. Serve piping hot.

Ahead of time note: You can cook the dish several hours in advance or even the day before. Warm up over moderate heat, adding 1 or 2 Tablespoons of water to keep the meat from drying. Also to save time, you can chop the carrot, celery, pickles and capers all together in a food processor.
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