Beef Stew

I am a meat and potatoes kind of girl. Almost every Sunday growing up for dinner my mom cooked a roast and potatoes in the oven. I loved it, my brothers hated it. I will tell you why. Wives cook for their husbands' tastes more than mothers cook for their childrens'. Why? Because children are impossible to please. You could cook a homemade Bologense Sauce for an hour and they want their noodles with "NO SAUCE!!!" So I personally think that rather than complaining about my mother's Sunday dinner my brothers need to shut their traps and be grateful that someone is/was cooking food for them  EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES.  But I digress.

Back to meat and potatoes.

Last Sunday I was visiting teaching my friend Brenda. I hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was going on 3:30. She had beef stew simmering in her crock pot. I will just tell you that while she is a nice person, that was just plain cruel. So I looked for the rainiest day this week, and decided to make homemade Beef Stew (Note: I did not say the day it rained. I said rainiest. Ug!) . I'd never done it before and to be honest it is delish.

This recipe (From New Best Recipes:)  )is a little more complicated than some, you add the veggies about half way through. But to be honest, I liked this bettter. They are still soft and infused with the jus of the stew but not mushy and falling apart. I also like that you added the peas and fresh parsley at the very end. They add awesome flaver and the peas don't turn that yucky brown green color but stay vibrant. Finnally, I cooked mine for an extra hour. I think the reason this was necessary is that my meat cubes were bigger than what the recipe said. So just a tip if after two hours it doesn't seem quite done.(Unlike past experiences, this extra hour worked in well with my plans.)

My non-meat and potatoes husband loved it, girls didn't touch it but like I mentioned I don't cook to please them.(Oh one last thing I halved this recipe and it still worked great. And I don't have an indoor dutch oven but my big pot did the job fine.)

Hearty Beef Stew

3 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
Salt and Pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped coars
3 medium garlic cloves minced
3 tbsp flour
1 cup red wine *
2 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
4 medium red potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 large carrots cut about 1/4 inch thick
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley


Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Dry the beef thoroughly with paper towels. (Do you remember in Julie & Julia you learn that this is the way to make meat brown properly? I am such a nerd.) Season with salt and pepper to taste. heat 1 tablespoon of oil in an oven proof Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of the meat so that the individual pieces are close together but not touching. Cook until all sides are brown. You might need to do this in several batches. Set meat aside

 Reduch the heat to medium, add remaining tablespoon of oil to the dutch oven. Add onions and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook stirring frquently scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen the browned bits until onions softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Stir in the flour and cook until lightly colored. Add the wine, scraping up the remaining browned bits from the bottom and edges of the pot and stirring until the liquid is thick. Gradually add the brother stirring constantly and scraping the pan edges to dissolve the flour. Add the bay leaves and thyme and bring to a simmer. Add the meat and return to a simmer. cover and put the pot in the oven. Cook for one hour.

Remove the pot from the oven and add the potatoes and carrots. cover and treturn the pot to the oven. Cook until the meat is tender, about one hour (in my case two) . Remove the pot from the oven. (At this point the stew can be covered and refriedrated for up to 3 days. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.)

Add the peas, cover and allow to stand of 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley, discard the bay leaves, adjust the seasonings and serve immediately.


*I used apple juice. I know that grape juice is the correct substitute for red wine but hear me out. I don't like grape juice and I have kids that spill everywhere. I did not want grape juice staining my house while we used the rest of the bottle. Some day I will just have to take my kids to the liqueur store to buy real wine to cook with, but until I have the guts/time/money this will have to do. Yes, I know I and Utah liqueur laws are rather ridiculous.