Makes 6 to 8 servings
My bottle of gochujang sauce says it’s good for everything, so I shrugged and put some in the beef stew I was working on. Perhaps “everything” is an exaggeration, but it certainly was good in this dish. Great, in fact. The sauce is chile-based but not all that hot. (The balance of hot to sweet can differ according to brand, so find one you like and then, if necessary, adjust the amount you use.) It’s mostly umami-packed and not easily describable, and the same could be said about this stew. The mix of spices is Asian, but the aromatics are standards in French cooking; ditto the technique of marinating the beef in wine and then cooking it slowly. The gremolata is similar to the herb mix you might sprinkle over osso buco, the classic Italian dish. And the cranberries? I noticed them in the fridge when I went to grab the carrots, and it made me think that their sweet-tart flavor might just be terrific with this cross-cultural mash-up. Bingo!
a word on beef cuts
You can make the stew with boneless stew meat or you can mix it up with a few chunky bone-in cuts, like oxtails and short ribs, which will add more flavor and texture. Play around and see what you like, remembering that bony cuts usually have less meat and more fat, so you might have to increase the amount you need for the stew.
Working Ahead
The stew is tastier if you marinate the beef overnight, or even up to 3 days in advance, and it’s easier to skim off whatever fat accumulates during cooking if you chill the broth for a couple of hours before serving time. You can also make the stew itself up to 3 days ahead. The gremolata can be made a few hours ahead and refrigerated.
To marinate the beef: You can marinate the beef in a Dutch oven or a jumbo zipper-lock plastic bag. (I prefer a bag because it takes up less room in the refrigerator.) Mix the wine, soy sauce and gochujang together until blended, then add the remaining marinade ingredients and stir. Add the meat and turn it around so that it’s submerged; cover or seal and refrigerate overnight. (The meat can marinate in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
When you’re ready to cook, transfer the beef to a plate lined with a triple thickness of paper towels. Cover it with three more towels and pat dry. Strain the marinade into a bowl; discard the solids. If some of the solids have stuck to the meat, remove and discard them (without being too fussy).
To make the stew: Warm 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the beef in batches — don’t crowd the pot — and cook, turning to brown all sides for about 8 minutes. Let each side of the beef get dark before turning it and browning another side. As the pieces brown, transfer them to a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Pour off the fat from the pot and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. When it’s hot, add the onion and carrots, season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat, turning as needed to color the vegetables — don’t be afraid of getting a little char here and there. Add the vegetables to the beef. Lower the heat and toss in the garlic, ginger and cranberries. Cook, stirring frequently and taking care not to blacken the garlic and ginger, until the mixture is fragrant and the cranberries have popped. Scrape over the beef and vegetables and stir.
Return the pot to high heat, pour in the water and cook, scraping the bottom, until you’ve picked up all the browned bits and most of the liquid has evaporated. Return the beef and vegetables to the Dutch oven and stir in the broth and all the remaining ingredients, including the reserved marinade. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 2½ to 3 hours, until the beef is fork-tender.
Transfer the beef to a bowl — be gentle; you want to keep the pieces intact. Strain the broth and discard the vegetables, herbs and spices (they’ve done their job and they’re too tired to be good now).
If you’ve got time, put the broth in a shallow pan and freeze it until the fat rises to the top so you can skim it off and then reheat the broth when needed. If you want to serve the stew now, skim off as much of the fat as you can. Taste the broth for salt and pepper, return the meat to the pot and reheat. (The stew can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated.)
Meanwhile, make the gremolata: Stir all the ingredients together. (You can make the gremolata a few hours ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator.)
I like to serve this in wide shallow soup plates, although bowls are fine. If you’re serving rice, quinoa or noodles with the stew, spoon it into the plates or bowls and top with the beef. Ladle over the broth and sprinkle with gremolata, or pass the gremolata at the table.
Storing: Stored in an airtight container, leftover stew can be frozen for up to 2 months.