Linda’s Tender Beef Stew

 

Serves 6-8

 

3 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1 ½ in cubes

2-3 tbs vegetable oil

2 large onions, chopped (2 cups)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbs all-purpose flour

1 cup full-bodied red wine

2 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 tps dried thyme

2 cups cubed potatoes

4 large carrots, peeled and sliced ¼ in thick

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

¼ cup minced fresh parsley

 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place meat in a large bowl sprinkle 1 ½ tps salt and 1 tps pepper: toss and coat. Heat 2 tbs oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch Oven: add meat in two batches. Brown meat on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch, adding more oil if needed. Transfer meat to a platter and keep warm in oven.

 

Add onions to pot, sauté until almost softened, 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic; continue to sauté for about 30 seconds longer. Stir in flour and cook until lightly colored , 1-2 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits that may have stuck to the pan. Add chicken broth, bay leaves and thyme; bring to simmer. Add meat and return to simmer. Cover and place in oven, and simmer until meat is just tender, 2 ½ to 3 hours. (Stew can be cooled at this point , covered and refrigerated up to 3 days)

 

Before serving, boil a large pot of water. Cook potatoes in the water for about 15 minutes, add carrots in for about 6 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots, and uncooked peas to fully cooked stew; cover and let stand to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings and serve.

 

Original recipe is from Pam Anderson’s The Perfect Recipe with my personal changes over the years. I loved one aspect of her technique-once everything is browned on the stovetop, the whole pot goes into a very low oven for hours- no checking necessary. Then the vegetables are cooked separately, so they never get too soft. If you like mushy potatoes you can cook them earlier and put them in with the stew meat the last ½ hour of cooking.