Seared Beef with Cipolline Onions and Horseradish Dumplings

Forest Floor — the mushroom stout — was released this week. Limited edition, 500 bottles, available only at the brewery taproom and a few select bars in Milwaukee. It sold out in three days. Three days. All 500 bottles. The taproom version sold out in one night. The bars reordered twice. The head brewer called it "the most talked-about seasonal we've ever done." The Milwaukee Record — the same outlet that profiled me in July — wrote a review calling it "earthy, haunting, and completely unique — like nothing else in Milwaukee's craft scene." Marcus called me on Wednesday night. "Are you sitting down?" he said. "The owner wants to do a full production run of Forest Floor next year. Statewide distribution." Statewide. My mushroom beer. Across Wisconsin. I sat on my couch and said nothing for about thirty seconds. Then: "Marcus, I made this beer because my grandmother makes mushroom soup." He said, "I know. That's why it's good." I drove to Babcia's the next morning before work. I brought her a bottle of Forest Floor — the first one I'd saved. I poured her a small glass and said, "This is your mushroom soup in a beer." She sniffed it. She sipped it. She made a face — not a bad face, a thinking face. Then she said, "It's strange. But it's good. Like you." Strange but good. Like me. I'll take that. Instagram exploded. The Forest Floor post got 1,200 likes. Followers jumped to over 1,000. Beer accounts, food accounts, Polish heritage accounts all shared it. I'm now "the pierogi and mushroom beer guy" in Milwaukee's food world. There are worse things to be. Sunday dinner at Babcia's. I made the full spread. She sat and watched and ate and hummed. The hum is quieter now. But it's there.

Sunday dinner at Babcia’s had to be worthy of the week — of statewide distribution announcements and sold-out taprooms and a grandmother saying strange but good like it was the highest compliment she knew how to give. I wanted something that felt like her world but also like mine: Eastern European bones, a little unexpected heat, something that could sit on her table and feel like it had always belonged there. Seared beef with cipolline onions and horseradish dumplings was that dish — the dumplings a nod to where I come from, the horseradish a little bit of the bite that makes both of us who we are.

Prep Time: 35 min | Cook Time: 2 hr 30 min | Total Time: 3 hr 5 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 lbs beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 lb cipolline onions, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups beef stock
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the Horseradish Dumplings:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped

Instructions

Season and sear the beef. Pat beef pieces dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear beef on all sides until deep brown, about 3–4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Caramelize the cipolline onions. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter to the pot. Add cipolline onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Build the braise. Stir in tomato paste and cook 2 minutes until it darkens slightly. Pour in the red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Add beef stock, thyme, and bay leaf. Return seared beef and any accumulated juices to the pot. The liquid should come about halfway up the beef.
Braise low and slow. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 2 hours, turning beef once halfway through, until beef is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Mix the dumpling batter. About 20 minutes before serving, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together horseradish, milk, egg, and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until combined — do not overmix. Fold in chives.
Cook the dumplings. Increase heat under the braise to a gentle simmer. Drop heaping tablespoons of dumpling batter onto the surface of the braise, spacing them slightly apart. Cover the pot tightly and cook, without lifting the lid, for 15 minutes, until dumplings are puffed and cooked through.
Rest and serve. Remove from heat and let rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Serve directly from the Dutch oven, spooning beef, onions, and dumplings together into wide bowls with plenty of the braising sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Seared Beef with Cipolline Onions and Horseradish Dumplings — The Sunday Spread That Said Thank You