Boeuf au Jus de Grenade (beef stewed in pomegranate juice)

     Boeuf bourguignon, a classic French beef stew, is rich, aromatic and wonderful. The conventional recipe includes a good dose of wine, which of course contains traces of yeast. The alcohol boils off, but the yeast remains and is still an allergen. 

     This recipe relies on pomegranate juice for the rich, slightly tart, fruity flavors that would usually be provided by wine. It turns out that pomegranate juice, like wine, transforms simple broth into an intense, delicious sauce. Note that juice freshly squeezed from a pomegranate is likely to contain less yeast than bottled juice. (See Juice in the Glossary) Fresh and bottled juice both contain a lot less yeast than wine.

Chuck roast stewed in pomegranate juice.
Hmm, I didn't actually chop the parsley leaves.

     1 lb. pearl onions
     1 lb. mushrooms
     6-8 oz. bacon (See Bacon in the Glossary)
     oil (See Oil in the Glossary)
     3 lb. stewing beef, cut into large chunks
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     black pepper (See Spices in the Glossary)
     1 carrot, sliced
     1 onion, sliced
     1-1/2 c. pomegranate juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     2-3 cloves of garlic, mashed 
     a few sprigs of thyme or a good sprinkle of dry thyme (See Produce 

          or Spices in the Glossary)

     1 bay leaf
     chicken or beef broth (See Broth in the Glossary)
     2 Tb. rice flour
     (optional) handful of parsley leaves, washed and chopped (See 

          Produce in the Glossary)

Saute the mushrooms, doubling the recipe given in the link but skipping the green onions, and braise the onions. Stash these veggies together in the fridge. Fry the bacon in a large skillet; do not discard the grease. Cut the bacon into chunks not more than an inch long or half an inch wide; stash in fridge. Sprinkle salt and black pepper onto the chunks of beef. Heat the bacon grease to medium, add oil if needed, and brown the beef. Put the beef into a pot large enough to hold the stew. Brown the carrot and onion in the hot bacon grease and add them to the pot with the beef. Discard the grease. Add the bacon, pomegranate juice, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf to the stew. Pour in enough broth to just cover the beef. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beef is thoroughly tender (2-3 hours).

When the beef is tender, remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.Use a sieve to strain the stew, collecting the broth in another pot. Skim the fat off the surface. Turn the heat up to high and reduce the broth rapidly to 2 cups. Stir the rice flour into a half cup of water. Gradually add to the broth in the pot, whisking it thoroughly and bringing it back up to a boil after each addition, until the sauce thickens up a bit--you may not need all the rice flour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put the stew back in the pot, and add the broth, braised onions and sauteed mushrooms. Heat for a couple of minutes, just until everything is hot again. Garnish with the parsley just before serving.