Beef Mushroom Braised Stew

Father's Day. A complicated holiday in this house now, in this year, with Marvin in the particular state he's in — still a father, still here, but the fatherhood increasingly abstract, the memories of raising David and Rebecca increasingly scattered. David called in the morning and spoke to Marvin on the phone, and Marvin said, "David, how are you, son," and David said, "Happy Father's Day, Pop," and Marvin said, "Is it Father's Day? Well, I'm a father, so that's appropriate." David laughed. I heard him laugh through the phone and I could hear in the laugh the effort it took, the willingness to laugh at what might, from a different angle, be devastating.

I thought about Irving. Father's Day always brings Irving, though he has been dead for thirty-four years. My father, the quiet presser from the Garment District who came home every evening and kissed my mother and sat down for dinner and did this for forty-one years. I didn't know it was extraordinary until I looked for it in other men. Irving would have been ninety-one this year. He would have liked Marvin. He did like Marvin — they had seven years of overlap, seven years of two quiet Jewish men sitting at the same table and communicating in the language of comfortable silence that Jewish men of a certain generation perfected: the nod, the half-smile, the "pass the brisket" that meant "I accept you into this family."

I made brisket for Father's Day dinner. Not because it's a Father's Day food — there is no Father's Day food, just as there is no Memorial Day food, despite what the charcoal industry would have you believe — but because brisket is what I make when I want to honor someone, and today I was honoring Marvin and Irving and David all at once, the three fathers in my orbit, one declining, one dead, one thriving with four children in White Plains. The brisket was six hours at low heat. It was, as it must be, perfect. Some things are non-negotiable.

The brisket I described was six hours and not a minute less — but if your cut of beef runs leaner or your afternoon runs shorter, this braised beef and mushroom stew delivers the same low-and-slow tenderness, the same onion-and-umami depth that fills a kitchen with the particular gravity of a meal that means something. I make a version of this when the brisket flat isn’t at the butcher, or when I want that same quiet ceremony in a form that feeds a table of six without requiring a roasting pan the size of a small sled. Irving would have approved. Marvin, on a good day, still does.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 lb cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 cups beef broth, low-sodium
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

Season and dredge the beef. Pat the beef pieces dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper, then toss lightly with the flour to coat.
Sear in batches. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding, brown the beef on all sides, about 3–4 minutes per side. Transfer seared pieces to a plate and set aside.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to the same pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to caramelize, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste, stirring for 1 minute until fragrant.
Deglaze with wine. Pour in the red wine, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it reduce by half, about 2 minutes.
Add remaining vegetables and liquid. Return the seared beef to the pot. Add mushrooms, carrots, celery, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir to combine. The liquid should come about halfway up the beef.
Braise low and slow. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the beef is fork-tender and the broth has thickened into a rich gravy. Stir once or twice during cooking.
Finish and serve. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle into bowls or over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Nutrition (per serving)

Beef Mushroom Braised Stew — The Brisket I Made to Honor All Three of Them