Beef Stew

I’ve been wanting to make stew for a long time. Stew is a classic comfort food and while somewhat time consuming, it is simple and lasts several days. Perfect for a cold winter night. I tried my Gram’s recipe a long time ago but for the life of me couldn't get it to thicken despite going the flour rue route. No doubt I was doing something wrong but without guidance it just became beef stewp (read stew/soup).

All in all, this recipe was amazing and the stew was thick. The only mistake in hindsight was adding the chopped potatoes too soon. Many of them dissolved (which no doubt helped to significantly thicken the broth) so, while it still tasted great, there really weren't too many chunks of them. Putting them in with about 30 minutes left in the cooking process (vs an hour as the recipe calls for) will solve that problem, as would cutting the potatoes into larger chunks. Either way, easily remedied. I also opted for leaving out the peas…but that’s just ‘cause I’m super picky about vegetables and peas fall in to the “no go” category. Sorry Mom.

P.S. If you’re wondering what the delicious looking side dish is featured in the above picture, it’s the Chive Risotto Cakes from our good friend the Barefoot Contessa. We go way back. http://zacksmithishungry.blogspot.com/2012/10/caramelized-onion-avocado-chicken_4.html

INGREDIENTS:
-4 pounds bottom round, well trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1/3 cup olive oil (plus more if needed)
-2 large onions, diced (2 cups)
-1 6-ounce can tomato paste
-1 cup dry red wine
-1 pound potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
-1/2 pound baby carrots (about 2 cups)
-2 cups beef broth
-1 tablespoon kosher salt
-1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
-1 bay leaf
-1 cup frozen peas, thawed

DIRECTIONS:
Coat the beef in the flour. Heat a few tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meat, a few pieces at a time, adding more oil as necessary. Transfer to a heavy casserole or a heavy, covered saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the onions to the skillet and cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and coat the onions; transfer to the casserole. Pour the wine into the skillet and scrape up any browned bits; add to the casserole. Stir in the broth, salt, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook in the casserole in a 325° F oven for 4 hours, or in the saucepan or Dutch oven on the stovetop over low heat for about 2 1/2 hours. In either case, stir occasionally and add up to 1 cup of additional beef broth if necessary. Add the potatoes and carrots during the last hour of cooking, and the peas just before serving.

Source: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/basic-beef-stew-with-carrots-mushrooms-10000001142004/

About Me: http://zacksmithishungry.blogspot.com/2012/09/about-me.html