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Local Food Journey

Recipe: Beef stew, a great answer for our rainy days

Posted by James Sechrengost on 05/22 at 06:39 AM

I love to make beef stew. On a rainy, blustery day, nothing is more comforting than sitting at the table eating beef stew and watching the rain. I used to freeze it so I had some on hand just to cheer me up when it would seem to rain for days on end.

When I used to go camping in the mountains with friends I would take along a big bag of frozen stew. By the end of the day there was nothing to do but throw it into the pot and wait until it had heated.

When I used to go camping in the mountains with friends I would take along a big bag of frozen stew. By the end of the day there was nothing to do but throw it into the pot and wait until it had heated. We climbed from 300 ft. above sea level, to about 10,000 ft. above sea level and we were tired and sore. We just wanted to set up camp, eat something, and go to bed. My frozen beef stew became part of our annual trip. Everyone loved the simple hardy dish and made the end of a long day that much more enjoyable. When I get invited to go camping one of the last things I hear is usually DON’T FORGET THE STEW!

Ingredients

- 2-3 lbs. beef chuck cut in 1 inch cubes

- 4 cups potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (if using red skin potatoes I like the skin left on.)

- 1 whole medium onion, diced

- 4 whole carrots peeled and chopped into about 1 inch pieces

- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated

- Salt

- Pepper

- 4 cups beef stock or broth

- 1 bay leaf

- Several dashes Worcestershire sauce

- 3 tbsp. vegetable or olive oil

- 1 tbsp. butter

- 4 oz. tomato paste

- ½ tsp. sugar

 

Steps

- Salt and pepper the beef.

- Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium high heat

- Once oil is hot, add pat of butter. Once it melts brown about half the stew meat until outside is nice and brown. About 2-4 minutes turning so all sides are browned. Remove the first batch and start the second batch browning until all meat is browned. Remove meat to same plate as the first batch. Set aside.

- Add the onions and garlic and coat in all the brown bits and beef juice in the bottom of the pot until just starting to turn translucent. Add the tomato paste and stir to thoroughly mix with onions. Cook for a couple of minutes.

- Pour in the beef stock, stirring constantly. Scrape up all those little bits of brown goodness in the bottom of the pan.

- Add Worcestershire, bay leaf, and sugar mix thoroughly.

- Add beef back to the pot and cover. Reduce heat to medium low.

- Simmer (you want a nice slow simmer not a boil) on medium low for about 1 ½ -2 hours until meat is tender.

- After beef is tender add potatoes and carrots to pot. Stir until well combined.

- Cover with lid and let simmer for another 30-40 minutes until potatoes are fork tender but not mushy. The sauce should be nice and thick. If too thick add a bit more beef broth until desired consistency.

- Adjust salt and pepper as needed.

- This of course is always better when reheated the next day. I serve mine over noodles or sometimes rice. You can add any other favorite vegetables the last 10 minutes of cook time, such as green beans, peas, or whatever.