Favourite Beef Stew

Submitted by CountryLady

"Simple home-style cooking is always the best and every culture loves stew - this version is a favourite in my family! Sometimes, I'll add parsnips or turnips - at other times, I'll omit the potatoes & serve over broad noodles - and occasionally, I top it with dumplings!!"

 

• Ready In: 3hrs 15mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 2 - 2 1⁄2 lbs lean beef, cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons light olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter (or margarine)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1⁄4 cup flour
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
• 4 cups beef stock
• salt & pepper
• 1⁄4 cup red wine (recommended!) (optional)
• 6 -8 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 6 -8 potatoes, coarsely chopped
• 6 -8 small onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can Italian tomatoes, drained & chopped
• 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

directions

1. Pat meat dry with a paper towel.
2. Heat oil & butter together in a large heavy saucepan.
3. Add meat & cook, stirring constantly, until browned all over.
4. Remove from pot, cover & set aside.
5. To juices remaining in pot, add chopped onion & cook, stirring often, until tender.
6. Add a little more butter, if necessary.
7. Stir in flour & cook, stirring, until mixture is golden.
8. Return meat to pot.
9. Add next 6 ingredients (if using wine, I recommend adding this first to deglaze) - bring to a boil, stirring up browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
10. Reduce heat, cover & simmer until the meat is tender- about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
11. Add vegetables & continue to simmer until veggies are tender- about 30 minutes.
12. Taste & adjust seasoning, if necessary.
13. Sprinkle with parsley.

Reviews

[Hag chef]

This was an excellent beef stew. We really enjoyed it. Simmering the beef for 1 1/2 hours made the meat nice and tender, without making the vegetables mushy. Unfortunately, I didn't have a can of tomatoes in the house, so I tried this recipe without them, and we thought it was wonderful anyway. I'll try it agian with the tomatoes.

 

[CooksSoGood]

I dipped my stew beef pieces in flour before frying to seal in the juices then proceeded as it says in the directions. The result was tender beef full of flavor, and the stew was really delicious! We really loved this recipe and will have it often in the cold months!

 

[Buttercup 2]

everyone who ate this loved it.

 

[lynmoz]

Oh my, yes! Very tender meat and excellent flavor! I only used one onion since that was all I had on hand. Hearty comfort food that is low calorie and super tasty. The meat I used was flank steak, cheap & on special (my kind of price. I cut off as much fat as I could when I cubed it and I was SO impressed at how tender it was. My picky BF liked it and he won't eat any cut of steak except Ribeye so I told him it was Ribeye and he was completely fooled. Muahahahahaha!

 

[FROMPHILLY]

This was excellent, the meat was fork tender. I made this and had to run out for an errand. I cut it off but I intended on cooking it a little longer. By the time I got back my hubby had his bowl and was diggin into it. We always eat as a family but he oouldnt resist. It left a wonderful aroma in the house while cooking.