Beef Stew

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This slow cooked meal can be done on your stove top, in the oven or even in a crockpot. It is synonymous with colder winter months and comfort food in my home. Without the addition of potatoes which get gummy, this dish is great frozen and reheated for later in the month too.

Tips:

• Rather than serve beef stew for a second day, turn it into a pasta sauce. Remove the beef from the stew and puree the veggies to make a smooth sauce. You can add some tomato sauce to the puree and simmer gently until it is brought together. This is delicious!

Beef Stew

Serves 4-6

PREP 25 minutes

COOK 3 hours

INGREDIENTS

5 teaspoons bacon fat or vegetable oil

1 1/2 lbs. beef stewing meat, trimmed and cut into inch cubes

¼ cup all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and pepper

1 medium onion, peeled and diced

5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds

1 package mushrooms, diced

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup red wine

3 ½ cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned

2 bay leaves

For serving: chopped parsley, buttered egg noodles, mashed potatoes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lay the beef out on a paper towel and allow the meat to dry. I like to put it on a half sheet pan lined with paper towel in the refrigerator for at least an hour before I cook. Season with salt and pepper.

2. In a Dutch oven add bacon fat over medium-high heat. Once hot add stew beef in batches, careful to not overcrowd the pan. Allow the beef to sear on each side before removing to a bowl. Continue until you have seared all of the beef.

3. If you need to add additional fat to the pan, then add onions, mushrooms and carrots. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Sauté the veggies until the onions are soft and the mushrooms have lost some of the their water.

4. Add tomato paste and cook for about 30 seconds mixing the paste with veggies.

5. Add flour and cook for a minute until the flour starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.

6. Turn off the heat and add the wine. Turn heat back on and deglaze the pan. (see video). Scrap up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Once wine has mostly evaporated, add the chicken stock, bay leaves and the stew beef.

7. Bring the stew to a simmer, put a lid on it and allow the stew to cook for the next 3 hours over a low heat. Check the stew every 30 minutes and stir it to make sure it’s not burning or too hot. It should just be simmering not boiling. If you need to add additional liquid, add some broth.

8. Allow stew to sit for 15 minutes before serving. Remove bay leaves.

9. Serve the stew over buttered egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Sprinkle some fresh parsley over each serving.