Beef Stew

Sweet Pea Paula's

Beef Stew

Paula shared this recipe last year and I bookmarked it, knowing I would make it for my family one day.

Paula adapted it from Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa).

Paula and Ina have never steered me wrong, so I gave it a try this weekend!

I had never made beef stew before, partly because until recently we didn't eat a ton of meat, especially beef.  But that turned the kids into rather picky eaters, so I decided a couple of years ago to learn to make more types of dishes that included all sorts of ingredients that weren't a part of our diet.

This turned out to be a great recipe, and would be terrific for a large crowd.

We served it with a long baguette of French bread, and it was really delicious.

You start by marinating the beef overnight in red wine with bay leaves and garlic.

I used a chuck roast and cut it into bite sized pieces, removing the fat.  I used a bottle of Merlot for the marinade.

The next day you chop your vegetables and brown your beef before cooking your stew for 2 hours either on the stove top (which I did), or in a dutch oven in the oven at 300*.

You start by removing the beef with a slotted spoon and dredging it in a flour/salt/pepper mixture, shaking off the excess flour, and browning the beef for several minutes in hot oil.

While the beef was cooking, I cooked my vegetables in a large soup pot in hot oil for 10 minutes.

Then I added garlic and cooked for another two minutes.

At that point I add the browned beef and 2 1/2 cups of the marinade and cooked it on high in order to deglaze the bottom of the pan.

Then I added in the chicken stock, fresh rosemary, Worcestershire sauce and cooked the soup on low for 2 hours.

I should have added the frozen peas in at the end and cooked those before serving the stew, but I forgot!  It would have been a great addition though.

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

Enjoy!