Bistro food has a reputation for being delicious and tasting like it might be infused with the deep emotions of the chef who prepared it. Tougher cuts of meat are marinated, slow-cooked, and left to braise for hours—or sometimes for days—so that the flavors are explosive and remind us that someone cares.
Chef Bob Perdan of 2nd Street Bistro in Livingston opened his kitchen to Edible Bozeman and shared the value of his slow-cooked food. It’s no surprise that the two days it takes to prepare his Beef en Daube is entirely worth the effort. The beef melts in the mouth, and the flavors are luxuriously rich and delicious.
SERVES 4–6
3 pounds beef cheeks, trimmed and cut to
1-inch cubes (substitute with boneless short ribs or a chuck roast)
1 large yellow onion, peeled and rough chopped
2 large carrots, washed and rough chopped
4–5 celery ribs, washed and rough chopped
1 head garlic, halved
1 orange, zested and juiced
750 milliliters red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon or something comparable)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons salt
3 ounces canola oil or clarified butter
3 ounces brandy (optional)
¼ ounce fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
1 (28-ounce) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
4 cups unsalted beef stock
8 ounces pancetta, cut to ½-inch lardons (or substitute smoked bacon lardons)
8 ounces pearl onions, blanched and peeled
8 ounces button mushrooms, quartered
4 ounces cocktail olives, sliced
The night before serving, in a large container or mixing bowl combine beef with rough-chopped onion, carrots, celery, a halved garlic, and the zest from the orange. Top with wine, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
On the day of serving, preheat oven to 250°F. Strain the vegetables and beef from the wine, reserving the wine for later. Remove the beef from vegetables, pat dry, and then toss with the flour and 2 tablespoons salt.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 3 ounces canola oil. Shake excess flour from beef then sear all sides, working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan.
Carefully remove beef from the Dutch oven and add in reserved carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and orange zest. Season with salt and pepper and cook while stirring until vegetables just start to take on color, about 6–8 minutes. Be sure to scrape all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
If using the brandy, carefully add it in and flambé. Once flames die out, add in thyme, bay leaves, and canned tomatoes. Stir to incorporate, then add beef, beef stock, and reserved red wine from marinade. Bring to simmer. Cover Dutch oven tightly with lid or foil and place in the oven to braise, about 3 hours, or until beef is fork tender.
While the beef is braising, add pancetta lardons to a large sauté pan over mediumlow heat. Stir occasionally, until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove lardons, leaving fat behind in the pan. Add in pearl onions and sauté until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove onions with a slotted spoon, leaving fat behind, and add mushrooms to the pan. Sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Add lardons and onions to mushrooms and set pan aside.
When beef is done braising, carefully remove beef chunks with tongs and set aside. Strain vegetables from the braising jus. With the Dutch oven over medium heat, reduce the jus by about half, until thickened. Skim any extra fat from the liquid. Once sauce is thickened, add in onion, mushroom, and pancetta mixture along with beef, sliced olives, and juice from the zested orange. Mix to combine.
Serve over mashed potatoes, wide-cut egg noodles, or gnocchi. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Kitchenware available at THE KITCHEN SHOP, Livingston, MT
9.75-inch Mason Cash Mixing Bowl in Forest Bear Cane | Creative Co-op Metal Twig Salad Servers | Montana Block Cutting Board | Buckin’ Bronco Kitchen Tea Towel
Photoshoot sponsored by 2ND STREET BISTRO, Livingston, MT
For this issue, Chef Bob Perdan, co-owner of 2nd Street Bistro with his wife, Jessy, and General Manager Elise Boehler sponsored our winter photo shoot in their cozy restaurant in the heart of Livingston.
