Hearty Beef Stew

Beef stew always reminds me of having fall and winter dinners at my Grandma’s. She would make a dish similar to this and I would always take as little meat and vegetables as possible and lots of juice so that I could soak it up with lots of bread! Stew is definitely a comfort food for me, and as fall started to roll in yesterday it was a perfect night to enjoy it. This recipe produced the classic flavors that I always associate with stew, and the meat was beyond tender – absolutely perfect! Thank you to Good Things Catered for sharing such a fabulous recipe – one that I will be saving as my standard stew recipe!

I went all out and baked homemade dinner rolls to serve with the stew. Stay tuned for another blog post dedicated to the rolls!

Hearty Beef Stew

(Adapted from America’s Test Kitchens)

Serves to 6 to 8

Ingredients:
3 lbs. beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 in. cubes
Salt and ground pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup dry red wine (I substituted 1 cup beef broth + 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar)
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-in. cubes
4 large carrots (about 1 lb.), peeled and sliced 1/4 in. thick
1 c. frozen peas

Directions:
1) Dry beef throughly and season generously with salt and pepper.

2) Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add half the meat so that pieces are not touching and cook not moving until brown (about 2-3 min). Use tongs and rotate pieces until all sides are browned (about 5 additional min.). Transfer beef to medium bowl and add another 1 tablespoon oil to pan, repeating previous steps with other half of beef.

3) Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to now empty pan and swirl to coat bottom. Add onions and 1/4 tsp salt and cook, scraping bottom of pan for brown bits until softened (about 5 mins). Add garlic and continue to cook for 30 sec. Stir in the flour and cook until lightly colored (1-2 min.). Add wine, scraping the bottom and stiring until thick and flour is dissolved.

4) Gradually add the beef broth, stirring constantly, scraping up the remaining browned bits on bottom of pan. Add bay leaves and thyme and return to simmer. Add beef, return to simmer, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer for 1 hour.

5) Add potatoes and carrots, leave uncovered, increase heat to medium and cook for additional hour. (After adding the carrots and potatoes is when I added a slurry of approximately 1/4 cup broth and 1 tablespoon flour – whether or not to add this would be based on personal preference and how thick or thin you like your stew sauce!)

6) Add the peas, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5 min.

7) Discard bay leaves, adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

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