Hearty Beef Stew

Hearty Beef Stew

2-3 pounds stew meat

4 tbls EVOO 

1/3 cup red cooking wine

4 tbls flour + more for dredging

2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes (or whole tomatoes, smashed)

2 15 oz can beef broth

4 carrots, peeled and chunked

1 onion, diced

3-5 potatoes, cubed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp rosemary

6 dashes worchestire sauce

4 tbls butter

dash sugar

S&P

Is there anything like the smell of beef stew filling your home? No, I think it's the most wonderful smell that can come from my kitchen!

It's not a quick recipe, but it is an easy one...well worth the wait!  Pour several cups flour in a pan & season with S&P.  Dredge meat in flour.  Meanwhile, heat stock pot to Med/High and circle pan twice with EVOO.  Lightly brown flowered meat on all sided, it usually takes two batches.  Don't over cook meat.  Set aside.

Melt butter in pot, saute onion & garlic, then deglaze pan with cooking wine. (simply pour in the cooking wine and let it get all bubbly while you scrape up all the bits from the bottom.  You can always use a little of the broth instead) Now, add tomatoes, beef broth, thyme, rosemary, worchestire sauce, dash of sugar, S&P.

Add beef back to pot.  Stir, cover & allow to simmer on LOW until meat is tender.  (I wish I could tell you how long that would be, but it truly depends on the meat.  I have had mine tender in 2 hrs or as long as 4 hrs!  Believe it or not, it will get tender if you just let it cook.  If you are in a hurry, you can always buy a sirloin tip & cut it yourself... it's sure to be tender quicker!)

Once tender, add the carrots & potatoes.  Continue simmering until all the veggies are tender.  Now, adjust the seasonings to your liking & be sure to check out my best biscuit secret... they make the beef stew simply an occasion to remember!