Recipe of the day: Beef and shitake stew with Spaetzle

Aaahh....sundays.  Doesn't everyone love a lazy sunday?  I made this dish on saturday, so I would just have to reheat it on sunday.  Not gonna write too much, because I actually have to make something a little more complicated today, as it is my 2 year anniversary with my boyfriend.  Today I am tackling a little recipe I saw on Iron Chef America, created by Mario Battali and Emeril Lagasse.  They had to make things out of sweet potato, and this dish made me salivate.  It was a Raviolone stuffed with sweet potato and one raw egg yolk, boiled for a few minutes, and when they served it, as you cut into the raviolone, the perfectly cooked egg yolk became your sauce along with some pork guanciale and freshly shaved white truffles.
Tonight, I am going to TRY, and recreate the recipe adding my touch, and suffice to say, it will be on the blog, wether it worked or not. 

Anyhow, back to my stew.  This is probably one of the easiest dishes to make, but it really knocks them out.  It is soooo stick to your ribs yummy, that I beseech all of you to make this on a cold winter day.  Or as my friend Miki in Dubai said, turn your aircon as high as it will go, and pretend. 

500 gr. Beef chunks for stew
Oil, for sauteeing
3 onions, chopped
200 gr. fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup red wine
4 tbsp. Hungarian paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Water
Sour cream for garnish
Spaetzle

In a large dutch oven over high heat, drizzle a little oil.  When the oil is hot but not smoking, add your beef chunks and sear them until they are golden brown.  Remove from heat, and add a little more oil to the pan if necessary.  Add your shitake mushrooms and saute, until soft, about 4 minutes.  Add your red wine, and deglaze the pan using a wooden spoon to break up any brown bits.  Let the wine evaporate, and remove your mushrooms, set aside.  Lower the heat to low, and add some more oil if necessary.  Add your onions and saute until soft, about 10 minutes.  Add  your paprika and stir, then add your beef and mushrooms, salt and pepper and fill the dutch oven with water, until it fully covers the beef chunks.  Bring to a boil, and then lower to med heat and let simmer, stirring ocassionally, for at least two and a half hours.  Keep checking it to make sure the water hasn't evaporated, and that your beef is cooking through until it is fork tender.
You want there to still be some sauce, so not too dry.
When it is done, place your cooked Spaetzle on the plate, spoon over some of your stew and garnish with some sour cream......yummy!
I served it with a lovely Rioja red wine, but any full bodied red will do.