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Fall is my favorite time of year. Maybe deep down it’s because the first hard frost kills off all the pollen, but I look forward to fall all year long. The crisp cool weekends inspire me to toss a comforting meal in the oven, curl up with a good book, and enjoy the aromas that fill the house while it cooks. Bonus: I get to clean up the kitchen long before it is time to sit down to a meal.
Since I no longer drink wine, I find it hard to justify the purchase of a bottle to use in recipes. I’m not opposed to it. I just don’t like how wine makes me feel so I abstain. Life is too short to feel like poo over a small glass of wine. Part of my food freedom was learning that wine doesn’t work for me anymore, accepting it, and moving on.
The depth of flavor in this recipe comes from the liquids that simmer down to almost nothing by the time the recipe is cooked through. This recipe is meant to simmer in the oven for a few hours to allow those flavors to concentrate.
Ingredients
3 pieces of bacon, diced
1 pound beef stew meat
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 bulb of fennel, finely diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
6 cloves of garlic, crushed and peeled
2 cups of marinara sauce
2 cups of paleo-friendly beef broth
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Remove the beef stew meat to a plate and blot dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and the rosemary.
In a Dutch oven heated to medium heat, render the fat off of the bacon. Remove the bacon pieces to a bowl large enough to fit both the bacon and the cooked stew meat. Add the stew meat to the pan. Cook the meat until well-browned and the pan becomes mostly dry. Remove the meat to the bowl with the bacon.
Add the diced fennel to the pan, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté until it softens and begins to caramelize. Add the stew meat and bacon back to the pan. Deglaze with the balsamic vinegar.
Add the beef broth, the marinara sauce, and the garlic cloves. There should be enough liquid to cover the meat.
Bring to a simmer on the stove and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for about 2 hours, checking periodically. Add extra broth if it becomes too dry. It is done when the meat shreds easily by pressing on it with the back of a spoon and the sauce is the consistency you like.
Serve over zoodles or spaghetti squash adding a little extra marinara as needed.
