Heather says:
Growing up, I thought I hated beef stew. I avoided it at all costs. Then came the day I was on complete bedrest during my first pregnancy. I had just gotten out of the hospital and my husband’s grandparents were kind enough to bring over dinner. Not knowing the depths of my loathing for stew, they brought over a large pot, enough for several meals. I certainly was not going to be rude, so I took a small serving. Wonder of wonders, I learned it was not beef stew I hated, but Dinty Moore. (Sorry mom and thank you Nana!)
Basics of Beef Stew
- 1 lb stew beef cut into 1″ or smaller chunks
- 2 TBSP vegetable or olive oil
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups beef broth or stock (you may substitute wine or dark beer for one cup of broth)
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 medium onion - diced
- a pinch of herbs such as rosemary or thyme (season according to your taste)
- vegetables cut into chunks
Directions after the jump.
Remove as much fat as possible from the beef.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or heavy skillet, if you intend on transferring to a slow cooker.
Toss the beef with the seasoned flour until well coated. Add the beef to the oil and cook until brown, use a spatula to stir and scrape the browning bits of flour from the bottom of the pan.
Add the diced onion and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add one cup of broth (or beer or wine) to the pan and be sure to get all the browned bits from the bottom, these add a lot of flavor and would burn if left in place.
Add your vegetables. I typically add 2 - 3 ribs of celery, 3 largish carrots, and 2 potatoes. These are all cut into fairly similar chunks. Add the garlic and remaining broth. Turn the heat down to low, add any herbs such as rosemary, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Notes -
- If you would like to add tomatoes, add them at the very end.
- If you are looking for a gluten free version, simply omit the flour and thicken the broth with instant potato flakes or corn starch.
- A handful or two of frozen vegetables are always a nice addition and add variety.
- Russet potatoes maintain a better texture than Idaho.
Stumble it!
12 responses so far ↓
1 JRae // Dec 4, 2007 at 3:11 pm
fresh ground flour?
Is that supposed to be pepper? At first I was like “where do I get fresh ground flour?” Hehehe.
Also, I’ve always thought soups/stews were supposed to begin with softening the vegetables up like onion celery and carrots… any particular reason you don’t put those in sooner? (I’m guessing because the beef takes longer to brown.) But I would think you’d want to soften those up before you add the deglazing broth (but I guess if you’re worried about the beef bits burning…) Ok it’s making sense as I talk it out…
2 imabug // Dec 4, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Mmmm, I love a good stew
The pre-packaged chunks of meat that pass for stewing beef in the stores have been getting pretty expensive in the stores. A nice hunk of chuck roast (which is usually a little less expensive) cut into cubes makes a decent and IMO tastier alternative.
1/2 tsp fresh ground flour - Do you mean pepper? I’m not sure too many people are grinding their own flour these days
I like yukon golds in my stew. You definitely don’t want Idahos…they’ll just disintegrate in the cooking process.
3 imabug // Dec 4, 2007 at 3:17 pm
JRae - Stews tend to be simmered for a long time, so softening the veggies isn’t really necessary like it is for soups, which don’t cook for as long. they’ll be pretty mushy by the end anyway.
4 Heather // Dec 4, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Yes, yes, it was supposed to be pepper. I wrote in a hurry today. 40 lashes for me.
Yukons are a great choice for potatoes, as well.
I only buy stew meat when it has been marked to sell that day. Chuck roast does make great stew and is a great tip, thanks Eugene.
5 JRae // Dec 4, 2007 at 5:06 pm
imabug- ah ok, good to know! Still learning about cooking over here, trying to make sense of it all…
6 Bramble // Dec 4, 2007 at 6:37 pm
dinty moore is NASTY. It tastes like dog food. And here i’d thought your mom was cool. tsk tsk
7 Margo // Dec 4, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Yum. We haven’t had beef stew in a while. This is on next weeks menu now!
8 Music City Bloggers » Blog Archive » Stewing Over Dinner // Dec 5, 2007 at 11:32 am
[...] do not like beef stew. Heather didn’t used to, but now she does. And she’s hooking you up with the recipe over at Home Ec 101. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and [...]
9 John Carney // Dec 5, 2007 at 11:59 am
I tried Alton Brown’s stew recipe a couple of months ago, and it’s incredible — although, admittedly, a lot of work. He cooks the short ribs in the oven the day before, then cooks the veggies the next day in some of the fat and liquid from the meat, then re-introduces the de-boned meat at the last minute.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_37518,00.html
10 lois // Mar 11, 2008 at 8:19 pm
What temperature do you cook the meat and vegestaable and for how long?
11 Heather // Mar 11, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Lois, you simmer it over low heat until the vegetables are fork tender. It’ll be an hour or two depending on the size and thickness of your vegetable pieces.
12 wlbissett // Apr 28, 2008 at 11:36 am
brilliant thank you