Beef Stew Recipe
Beef chunks slow-cooked for 3 hours in a delicious, savory broth loaded with vegetables and seasoned to perfection: this beef stew recipe is life!
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ pounds approx. 1 kg boneless Stewing Beef precut into 1 ½ inch chunks (I get mine from Costco)
- freshly ground salt + pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ yellow onions approx 2 cups, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 8 large garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 2 ½ cups carrots approx 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch diagonal slices
- 2 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups your favorite Cabernet Sauvignon red wine I used Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2 ½ cups beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups fingerling potatoes cut into one inch cubes
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups frozen peas
Instructions
- Pat the beef dry with a paper towel and season with the salt and pepper.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat until hot and simmering. Brown the meat in batches, turning with tongs, for about 4 minutes per batch; add one tablespoon more oil for each batch. (To sear the meat properly, do not crowd the pan and let the meat develop a nice brown crust before turning with tongs.) Transfer the meat to a large bowl and set aside.
- Add the carrots, onions, garlic and balsamic vinegar to the dutch oven. Cook, stirring and scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, for about 10 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for one minute more.
- Add the beef with its juices back to the pan
- Sprinkle with the flour, gradually stirring until there aren’t any lumps remaining.
- Add the potatoes, wine, beef broth, thyme, sugar, freshly ground pepper and bay leaf. Continue to stir to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with lid and let simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and set the oven rack in the lower middle position.
- Transfer to the preheated oven for 2 ½ hours.
- Add frozen peas to a microwave safe bowl and add enough water to cover the peas. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Drain the peas in a colander to remove all excess water.
- Remove the pot from the oven at the 2 ½ hour mark and add your drained peas. Cover and place back in the oven for one hour more, or until the vegetables are cooked, the broth is thickened, and the meat is tender. Fish out the bay leaf and discard.
- Serve the stew warm with fresh soft buns -- or let it come to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator overnight or until ready to serve.