Harvest Beef Stew

I got this recipe more than 10 years ago out of one of those Betty Crocker cookbooks that you can buy at the supermarket checkout. This is one of the tastiest beef stew recipes I've had and I make this frequently in the winter months. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 4 hrs 25 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2  lbs beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1⁄3 cup tapioca, quick-cooking and uncooked
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh basil or 1  teaspoon dried basil
• 1  tablespoon cumin seeds or 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 4  medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces (I substitute cut-up baby carrots)
• 4  garlic cloves, finely chopped (I substitute 1 tablespoon of minced garlic)
• 2  medium onions, cut into eights
• 32  ounces whole tomatoes, undrained
• 10  ounces frozen corn
• 10  ounces  frozen peas
• 1  lb  red potatoes, cut into equal sized chunks

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients except corn, potatoes, peas and potatoes in ovenproof Dutch oven or decent size pot, breaking up tomatoes.
3. Cover and bake 2 1/2 hours, stirring 2 or 3 times during the first 1 1/2 hours. I keep beef broth ready to add in case I need more liquid.
4. Stir in potatoes, cover and bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours longer or until beef and vegetables are tender.
5. Stir in peas and corn. Cover and let stand 15 minutes before serving.
6. NOTE: this freezes well.