(Not my actual stew, but THE actual stew)
Really amazingly great recipe from Cooks Illustrated, with minor alterations by me. Try it! You'll like it!
What you need:
- 3 1/2 lbs stew beef
- Salt and pepper
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 lbs yellow onions, sliced (about 3 cups)
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tsp)
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 3/4 cup low-sodum beef broth
- 1 1/2 cups (12 oz bottle) dark ale or stout beer
- 1 lb. mushrooms, sliced thick
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
What you do:
1 Preheat oven to 300F. Season beef generously with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a dutch oven on the stove top over medium high heat; brown meat (in portions if necessary) and try not to move the pieces while they cook, except to turn. (About 2-3 minutes).
Transfer browned beef to a separate bowl.
2 Add 1 Tbsp oil to dutch oven; reduce heat to medium low. Add the onions, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and tomato paste; cook, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until onions have released some moisture, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and stir until onions are evenly coated and flour is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in broths, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits; stir in beer, thyme, bay, vinegar, browned beef with any of the accumulated juices, and salt and pepper to taste. Add mushrooms.
Bring to a full simmer, stirring occasionally; cover partially, then place pot in oven. Cook until fork inserted into beef meets little resistance, about 2 hours.
3 Discard thyme and bay. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste and serve. Can serve plain or over egg noodles, rice, or potatoes.
Serves 6 very lucky people.
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Comments
Mary, this is really truly an awesome recipe. You won't be disappointed.
Desig--this I guess is what people did before there were crock pots. I am a big believer in a gadgetless kitchen, so no crock pot for me. I do all of my stews like this.
This looks wonderful. I love stews and braised ribs and chili's--I do several versions of all (and I'm planning on adding this to the collection).
I like to serve these type of dishes over polenta. I'm not a rice fan and we eat so much pasta with other preparations.
The Polenta is easy to make: cornmeal, combo of milk & broth, salt, sugar, tablespoon of butter, maybe a little parmesan . I usually serve it "soft/creamy" in this application.