The French word for stew is ragoût, a broad term for a dish of meat or vegetables cooked slowly in liquid; it is not the name of one single recipe. This French-style beef ragoût simmers chuck with red wine, stock, carrots, and potatoes until the meat is tender, making a substantial one-pot meal served hot with bread or another simple side.
Ingredients
- 2½ lb (1.13 kg) boneless beef chuck, cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) cubes
- 1½ tsp (9 g) fine salt, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp (1 g) freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) neutral oil, such as canola oil
- 1 large yellow onion, about 1½ cups (225 g), chopped
- 2 medium carrots, about 1 cup (130 g), cut into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces
- 2 celery stalks, about 1 cup (100 g), chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, about 1 tbsp (15 g), minced
- 2 tbsp (16 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp (30 g) tomato paste
- 2 cups (475 ml) dry red wine
- 2 cups (475 ml) low-sodium beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, or ½ tsp (1 g) dried thyme
- 8 oz (225 g) small cremini mushrooms, halved or quartered
- 1 lb (450 g) small waxy potatoes, quartered into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup (150 g) frozen pearl onions, thawed, or 1 cup (150 g) peeled fresh pearl onions
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
- 2 tbsp (8 g) chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Prepare the beef and vegetables. Pat the beef dry with paper towels; dry surfaces brown more effectively than damp ones. Season it with the salt and pepper. Chop the onion, carrots, and celery, mince the garlic, and prepare the mushrooms and potatoes. Keep the potatoes in bite-size pieces so they cook through during the final simmer. Allow about 30 minutes for this preparation.
- Brown the beef. Heat the oil in a heavy 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Working in three batches, brown the beef for about 4 to 5 minutes per batch, turning the pieces so several sides develop a deep brown crust. Transfer each batch to a plate. Avoid crowding the pot: if the beef gives off liquid and steams, brown smaller batches instead. The browning takes about 15 minutes in total.
- Soften the aromatics. Lower the heat to medium. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring and scraping up browned bits. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, so the flour loses its raw taste and the paste darkens slightly.
- Add the wine and stock. Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen the fond. Bring it to a simmer and cook for 4 minutes. Add the beef and any juices from its plate, then pour in the stock. Add the bay leaf and thyme. The liquid should come close to covering the beef; add a little water or stock if needed, but do not dilute it excessively.
- Braise until the beef is nearly tender. Bring the liquid just to a gentle simmer, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 1 hour 30 minutes, checking occasionally that the liquid is barely bubbling rather than boiling hard. A vigorous boil can make meat fibers tighten and can reduce the sauce too quickly. Stir once or twice and add a splash of stock or water if the pot looks dry.
- Add the remaining vegetables. Stir in the mushrooms, potatoes, and pearl onions. Cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced and the beef yields easily to a fork. For food safety, USDA FSIS gives 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest as the safe minimum for whole cuts of beef; check a large piece with a food thermometer and allow the rest before serving. A long braise should make chuck considerably more tender than that minimum.
- Finish and serve. Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems. Stir in the vinegar, then taste the sauce and adjust the salt, pepper, or vinegar as needed. Let the stew stand for 3 minutes before serving, and scatter the parsley over the top. If the sauce is thinner than you like, lift out the beef and vegetables and simmer the uncovered sauce for a few minutes, then return them to the pot.
Tips
- Choose chuck for a long braise. Its connective tissue softens during slow cooking and gives the sauce body. Lean steak may cook faster but can become dry or firm when simmered for this long. Cut the beef into fairly even pieces so they finish at about the same time.
- Use a dry wine you would drink. A dry Pinot Noir, Merlot, or similar red works well. If you prefer not to cook with wine, replace it with the same amount of beef stock and add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra red wine vinegar at the end for some brightness. The result will be less wine-forward and a little less complex.
- Keep the simmer gentle. A few small bubbles are enough. If the liquid boils rapidly, lower the heat; check that the lid fits and that the bottom is not catching. A heavy pot helps distribute heat evenly, but an ordinary thick-bottomed covered pot also works.
- Adjust the finish, not the whole pot. If the sauce tastes flat, add salt in small increments before adding more vinegar. If it tastes too sharp, simmer it briefly or add a small splash of stock. Thawed frozen pearl onions are convenient; fresh ones are fine too, though peeling them takes longer.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the ragoût in warm shallow bowls, making sure each portion gets beef, potatoes, vegetables, and plenty of sauce. Crusty bread is useful for soaking up the liquid. For a meal with a lighter side, add a green salad dressed with a simple vinaigrette or serve steamed green beans alongside. The stew is filling on its own, so extra starch is optional; if you leave out the potatoes, buttered egg noodles, boiled potatoes, or plain rice can catch the sauce.
For a relaxed meal, bring the covered pot to the table and let people serve themselves. A little chopped parsley adds freshness and color, while a small dish of mustard can be offered on the side for those who like a sharper contrast. Avoid adding a large amount of garnish or seasoning at the table before tasting, since the sauce is already seasoned during cooking.
Variations
Ragoût describes a family of French stewed dishes rather than one fixed formula. For a more rustic version, omit the potatoes and serve the stew over mashed potatoes or noodles. You can replace the mushrooms with an equal amount of extra carrots or parsnips; those vegetables make the finished sauce sweeter and more earthy.
For a version closer in spirit to a wine-braised daube, use a hearty red wine and add a strip of orange peel with the herbs, removing it before serving. A daube has its own regional and household variations, so this is a flavor variation rather than a claim that the two dishes are identical. If you do not eat beef, make a vegetable ragoût with mushrooms, carrots, celery, potatoes, and white beans, using vegetable stock; cooking time will vary, so add the potatoes when the carrots are partly tender.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking in shallow, covered containers. The stew keeps for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Its flavor often becomes more integrated after a night chilled, and the fat on top is easy to remove once cold if you prefer a less rich sauce. Freeze portions in airtight freezer containers for up to 3 months for best quality; thaw them in the refrigerator rather than on the counter.
Reheat only the portion you plan to eat, either in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat or in the microwave, stirring occasionally so it warms evenly. Add a splash of stock or water if the sauce has thickened in the refrigerator. Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C), checking the center with a food thermometer. Bring stovetop portions to a gentle simmer after they reach temperature, but avoid prolonged boiling, which can break down the potatoes and dry out the beef.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the French word for stew?
Ragoût (pronounced roughly “rah-goo”) is a general French word for a stew or slow-cooked dish. It can refer to meat, vegetables, or both cooked in a seasoned sauce. Specific French stews also have their own names, such as daube or pot-au-feu.
Is ragoût the same as pot-au-feu?
No. Ragoût is a broad category, while pot-au-feu is a particular French dish of meat and vegetables gently cooked in broth and commonly served with the broth. This recipe is a thicker, wine-based beef stew, not a pot-au-feu.
Can I make this stew without red wine?
Yes. Replace the wine with an equal amount of beef stock and add a tablespoon of red wine vinegar at the end, tasting before adding more. The sauce will lack the depth and fruitiness wine contributes, but it will still be savory and suitable for serving with the same sides.
Why is my beef still tough after simmering?
Chuck can need more time, especially if the pieces are large or the simmer was very low. Continue cooking gently in 15-minute increments, checking both the beef and potatoes so the potatoes do not collapse. Toughness usually signals that the connective tissue has not softened enough yet, rather than that the stew needs a harder boil.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Cool and refrigerate it promptly, then reheat it the next day to 165°F (74°C). If making it ahead, the potatoes may soften a little during storage. For firmer potatoes, cook the stew without them and add freshly cooked potatoes when reheating, or accept a softer, more integrated texture.
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Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes
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