Hearty Winter Stew
European cuisine has an interesting range of hearty stews to survive the cold season. Enjoy the deep flavor in French Bœuf aux Quatre Épices. Choose the main recipe for a beef stew or one of its variations.
Quatre Épices
Quatre Épices or “four spices” is a French staple blend with white pepper in a prominent role. Quatre Épices is used to season hearty stews and soups, or braised root vegetables.
The Star: White Pepper
Black and white pepper derive from the same plant but have different flavors and heat profiles. They are harvested at different stages. In the next step, to receive the white pepper, the skin is removed from the pepper berry.
Variations
- Substitute beef with lamb or rabbit.
- Substitute 1-2 cups of broth with red wine.
- In the end, stir 1/2 to 1 cup of heavy cream into the sauce, and bring it to a boil. Adjust salt.
- Instead of the heavy cream, top your plated meal with a dollop of crème fraîche.
Vegetarian Version
For a vegetarian version, make the following changes to the recipe:
Step (1) – Add 1 lb mushrooms.
Step (2) – Skip this step.
Step (4) – 1 tbsp flour is enough for this version.
Step (5) – Use not more than 2 cups of broth.
Step (7) – Cooks fast in only 30 minutes.
The Bœuf aux Quatre Épices Culinary Spice Kit includes the following spices:
White pepper, cloves, ginger, nutmeg
Fresh carrots and small onions cook for three hours in this stew. Use shallots or beautiful boiling onions.
French Bœuf aux Quatre Épices
Ingredients
Protein
- 1.25 lb beef stew
- 7 oz bacon
Produce
- 5 carrots cut into 1-inch slices
- 10 small shallots peeled
- 2 cloves garlic peeled, crushed
Dairy
- 4 tbsp butter
Packaged Goods/Staples
- 5 cups beef or vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp flour
- salt
Bœuf aux Quatre Épices Culinary Spice Kit
- white pepper, cloves, ginger, nutmeg
Suggested sides
- potato croquettes or dumplings, boiled or mashed potatoes, gnocchi, or thick noodles of your choice
- lettuce or cucumber salad with a light lemon dressing
Instructions
- In a large POT, melt the butter.
- Add the onions whole and the bacon.
- Cook over medium-low heat until golden, stirring constantly. Scoop them out and set aside.
- In the same POT, cook the meat over high heat until it turns brown, stirring frequently.
- Add the carrots and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Sprinkle the meat with flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the broth, mix, and scrape the bottom. Return the bacon and onions.
- Add the tomato paste, garlic, and Quatre Épices spices. Season with salt to taste. Mix well.
- Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Vegetarian (optional)
- Add 1 lb mushrooms with the onions.
- 1 tbsp flour is enough for this version.
- Use not more than 2 cups of broth.
- Cooks fast in only 30 minutes