Medieval Beef Stew

The title of this post may be slightly misleading. You see, there isn’t really anything all that medieval about this beef stew. But there is something medieval about the wander that the Country Boy and I had about Paris a few weeks ago, and beef stew seemed like an appropriate dish to have after such a wander.

But I guess I’d better start at the beginning. You see, the Country Boy is kind of perfect, almost weirdly so. He reads my mind when I need a cup of coffee. He tags along with me to brocantes and bookstores all over Paris and waits patiently as I page through the crackled pages of old books. He pulls all-nighters with me when I’m writing my thesis for moral support. He even sometimes drags the bed into the living room from the bedroom so that I can watch Doctor Who in bed. And he never asks for anything.

A few weeks back, we had planned a sort of stay-cation, where we each planned a day of things to do in Paris. And I knew just what to do: you see, the Country Boy loves the Middle Ages. While I’m looking through 19th century novels at brocantes, he’s paging through volumes about the Templars. When we’re in Paziols, his favorite excursion is the medieval chateaux and Carcassonne. He even has a Cathar flag hanging on our bedroom wall. And while it may not be the most popularized part of Paris, this city has a whole lot of medieval history.

Our first stop was that wall you see up there, hidden behind a high school in the Marais neighborhood of Paris. It was an easy walk from our real first stop, Breakfast in America. (Boy loves his pancakes…)

The wall was built by King Philippe-Auguste in the 13th century, to keep out invaders. The part that we visited is located on rue des Jardins Saint-Paul, which is far from clearly marked on Google Maps, but TCB has an uncanny sense of direction. It’s the longest remaining portion of the medieval wall.

And it was only the start of our tour.

Next, we continued through the Marais to an old medieval cloister. The cloister itself, the Cloître des Carmes-Billettes is attached to a Lutheran church. It has a separate entrance at number 24, rue des Archives (which we did not know and therefore almost walked into a meeting in the church itself), and is home to occasional art exhibits. While we weren’t too interested in the contemporary art that was lining the walls at the time, we loved taking a look at the intricate architecture.

At one point, a woman leaned out one of these windows and called down to the artist, standing below and nursing a drink with some of his friends. It was lunchtime apéro, you see.

The cloister dates to 1427, newer than the other things we would see on our tour, but definitely old enough to make the modern art seem anachronistic.

There’s a part of one of my favorite books from middle school called Bloomability. “It was a story that a boy had told me the day before: There were two prisoners in a jail cell. They each looked out the same small window. One prisoner said, ‘Man oh man, what a lot of dirt!’ The other said, ‘Man oh man, what a lot of sky!'” I can almost recite it from memory.

After the cloister, it was time to continue on to the Jean-sans-Peur tower, or tower of John-without-Fear. It was built in the 15th century by Duke Jean I of Burgundy. Today, it’s the last remaining part of the private residence of the Dukes of Burgundy, which one stood here. It’s located at 20, rue Etienne Marcel.

Each of the floors offers different exhibits, explaining what daily life was like here for the Dukes. We spent a lot of our time looking at this beautiful carved ceiling, which was once painted in bright colors.

Some modest stained glass windows as well… but if you look at them the right way…

When we got up to the top floor, TCB took advantage of the fact that we were all alone to fiddle with the window, which I think is probably not allowed. But we ended up with these views, so I have nothing to say.

I was hanging out the window for the last one, to capture Montmartre.

Unfortunately, soon after, what had been a fairly clear day became inundated with rain, and we took shelter at the Highlander, across the river, over a few pints. Still, it was a fairly nice day, which would have been made even better with the addition of some warming comfort food.

This beef stew is the perfect way to end a cold, late fall day. It’s warming and simple, and it’s even better when it’s been made the day before, so you can just heat it up as soon as you walk in the door, and let the warm bowl thaw your fingers.

Then again, I really don’t think TCB minded the cold.

Beef Stew

2 onions, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. butter
2-3 tsp. vegetable oil, if needed
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut in chunks
salt, to taste
3 cups hot water, plus more, as needed
3-4 medium potatoes, chopped in even pieces
3 carrots, chopped in even pieces
1 Tbsp. flour 

Heat the butter and onions together with a hefty pinch of salt in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over low heat. Cover and allow to caramelize over about 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions are dark brown and sweet.

Remove the onions to a bowl. Add vegetable oil if needed and turn the heat up to high. Salt the beef generously and add in one layer to the pot. Sear the beef chunks on all sides, cooking in two batches, if needed. When the beef is browned, add it all to the pot along with the onions and the hot water. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 3-4 hours, until the beef is fall-apart tender. Add more water over the course of cooking as needed. 30 minutes before the stew is finished, add the potatoes and carrots.

If making a day ahead, stop here. Cool the stew, then refrigerate. When ready to heat, remove the excess solid fat from the top and heat slowly over medium-low heat. If not making a day ahead, proceed to the next step.

Combine a tablespoon of gravy with the flour in a small saucepan, whisking to thicken. Slowly add 2-3 ladlefuls of the cooking liquid, whisking all the while. Add the gravy back to the finished stew. Serve.