Hearty Beef Stew

Hearty Beef Stew

 from the kitchen of Ellen, thanks to Cooks Illustrated, January 1996

Hearty Beef Stew

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs flap meat, chuck-eye roast, or chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 3 tbs vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped coarsely
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbs unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 small boiling potatoes, peeled and halved
• 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Heat:

• oven to 300 degrees. 

Yum - All the brown bits get incorporated into the stew.

Place:

• beef cubes in large owl.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat.  Heat 2 tbs oil over medium-high heat in large nonreactive soup kettle; add beef to kettle in two separate batches.  Brown meat on all sides, about 5-8 minutes per batch, adding remaining tablespoon of oil if needed between batches.  Remove meat and set aside.  Add onions to now empty kettle; saute until almost softened, 4-5 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium and add garlic; continue to saute about 30 seconds longer.  Stir in flour; cook until lightly colored, 1-2 minutes.  Add wine, scraping up browned bits that may have stuck to kettle.  Add stock, bay leaves, and thyme; bring to simmer.  Add meat; return to simmer.  Cover and place in oven; simmer about 1 hour.

Remove:

• kettle from oven, add potatoes and carrots, cover and return to oven.  Simmer until meat is just tender, about 1 hour.  Remove stew from oven.  (Can be cooled and refrigerated up to 3 days.)

Add:

• peas and allow to stand 5 minutes.  Stir in parsley, adjusting seasonings, and serve.