Boeuf Bourguignon Soup

Sundays are typically my day to make a nice dinner. I like to try a new recipe, or I'll make some I know is a little too complicated for a weeknight meal. This past Sunday I made Martha Stewart's Boeuf Bourguignon Soup found in the December issue of Living Magazine.

Here's the recipe from Martha Stewart's website:

Ingredients
Serves 6
4 bone-in short ribs (2 inches thick, 2 pounds total)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces white button mushrooms, quartered
3 carrots, 2 finely chopped and 1 cut into 3/4-inch cubes
3 shallots, minced
2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
2 strips bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 thyme sprigs
1 dried bay leaf
1 cup dry red wine, such as Burgundy
8 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium beef stock
2 cups water

Herbed Egg Noodles, for serving
Horseradish Chive Bread, for serving

Directions
Season ribs with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Coat with cornstarch. Heat oil in a large heavy pot (preferably enameled cast iron) over medium-high heat. Lightly brown ribs on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add mushrooms to pot. Cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; add cubed carrot.

Add shallots, celery, bacon, and chopped carrots to pot. Cook until caramelized, about 6 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste.

Return ribs with plate juices to pot. Add thyme and bay leaf. Raise heat to high. Add wine. Cook, scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon, until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add stock and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until beef is tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Remove ribs. Separate meat from bones; discard. Cut meat into bite-size pieces; return to pot.

Add reserved mushroom-carrot mixture. Bring to a simmer; cook until cubed carrots are tender. Season with salt. Ladle soup over bowls of herbed egg noodles and serve with horseradish chive bread on the side.

From Martha Stewart Living, December 2010

Helpful Hint:
Soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw before using. Skim fat from top, and reheat.

We've both had the leftovers this week for lunch, and it reheats really well. I changed the recipe a little bit, using an onion instead of shallots, and Merlot wine, because that's what I had on hand. I don't drink red wine, so I wanted to use a bottle I was given as a gift. Next time, I'll probably buy a bottle of dry red to keep for cooking purposes.

Photo from Martha Stewart.