|
Preheat oven to 350°F and select a heavy pot that can be put into the oven (i.e., no plastic handles). A cover is helpful but not essential.
Cut off and discard rind from salt pork. Cut the salt pork into half-inch cubes. Cover with water in a small pan and gently simmer about 10 minutes. Remove and dry on paper towels. Put the salt pork into the large pot with the vegetable oil and fry until the pork is crisp and golden brown (like bacon) and most of the fat is rendered out. Remove the pork to a paper town (a slotted spoon is useful).
While the salt pork is frying, start cutting the beef into 2-inch cubes. A word about the beef: Don’t be tempted to get a more expensive cut of meat. This dish cooks for a long time and actually works better with tougher cuts (long cooking breaks down even the toughest connective tissue). Get whatever is on sale, but avoid gristle.
Brown the beef cubes in the hot pork fat, turning to brown all sides. Work in batches and try not to let the cubes touch. Yes, go ahead and fry it in pork fat. Browning in pork fat builds deep flavor. Most of the fat will be discarded anyway, but if you’re squeamish about pork fat, use vegetable oil instead and maybe kick in a little more tomato paste and spices later. When the meat is nicely browned, remove it, reserve it, and brown more.
When all the meat is browned and out of the pot, pour off all but a couple tablespoons of the pork fat. Add the celery, carrot and onion to the pot and sauté until cooked through. Return the meat to the pot. Sprinkle with the flour, salt and pepper. Cook until the flour is lightly browned (not burnt), then cover and turn off the heat.
In a medium saucepan, dissolve the bouillon cubes in the water, then add wine. (I now use organic beef stock rather than bouillon cubes and water.) Add tomato paste, ground thyme and crumbled bay leaf. Crush the garlic, finely chop a couple springs of parsley, and toss them in as well. Bring the liquid to a boil, then pour it over the meat.
Cover the pot (rig a covering with aluminum foil if the pot has no cover) and put it into the oven. Bake for three hours until the meat is fork tender. This is a good time to clean the kitchen.
About half an hour before the baking is done, sauté the mushrooms in a little butter. Braise or defrost the onions. Then add mushrooms and onions to the beef. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper as necessary. If you prefer a thicker broth, dissolve 1 tbs. cornstarch in 1 tbs. cold water and stir it in.
Serve the beef with boiled baby potatoes or over rice or pasta. Sprinkle some additional minced parsley over the top. It pairs nicely with a green salad, crusty French bread and a good red wine.
| 
