Beef with Onions and Red Wine

• 2½ pounds rolled chuck (order the cut used for chicken steak)

• 1 stick butter

• ½ pound onions plus 1 medium-sized onion, coarsely grated

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon thyme

• 1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2¼ cups good, dry red wine

• 2 tablespoons flour mixed with ½ cup water

• 2 tablespoons tightly packed brown sugar

• 1 onion stuck with 2 whole cloves

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 10 white onions

• Garnish of freshly cut parsley

1. Sauté the ½ pound of grated onions with the bay leaf and thyme in a half stick of butter, but do not allow them to brown. When the onions appear transparent, transfer them to a 2-quart casserole.

2. Wipe the rolled chuck with a clean cloth and, using a very sharp knife, cut the meat into 2-inch cubes. Sprinkle with the black pepper and the grated medium-sized onion.

3. Heat a 10” skillet, add 2 tablespoons of butter, and as the foaming stage begins to subside, place 5 or 6 pieces of chuck in the pan at a time, browning them evenly on all sides. Add the browned pieces of beef to the casserole with the sautéed onions.

4. Wipe clean the skillet, pour in the wine and heat until it is very hot; then flame it in order to burn off all the alcohol. Lower the heat of the burner and keep tilting the pan to insure that all the alcohol is burned off; when this is completed, the flame will go out. Pour the wine into the casserole.

5. Add the flour mixture, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and the 1 onion stuck with the cloves. Cover and mix the ingredients by firmly shaking the casserole. Place the casserole, still covered, in a 250°F oven.

6. After 1½ hours add a teaspoon of salt.

7. Allow 2½ hours of cooking time in the oven (or longer, depending on the tenderness of the meat). Twenty minutes before the stew is finished cooking, in a 9” skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter to the foaming stage, sprinkle in a tablespoon of brown sugar, and tilt the pan over the heat until it has blended with the butter. Add the 10 white onions and, keeping the pan very hot, hold it slightly above the heat, shaking and tilting it until the onions are evenly browned. This takes about 8 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions and place them on top of the meat in the casserole.

8. Cook uncovered for the final 20 minutes. Spoon off any fat that appears on the surface. Garnish with freshly cut parsley just before serving.

NOTE: After peeling the onions, cut a cross into the bottom of each onion with a sharply pointed knife. This will prevent the onion centers from slipping out while cooking.