Beef Stew
It is absolutely glacial outside, which means it’s definitely soup and stew season. My absolute favourite is my beef stew - it’s a bit of a mix between a traditional beef stew and a boeuf bourgignon. Most importantly, it’s hearty and warming, and pretty easy to make. Total cook time is less than four hours.
Ingredients:
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2.5 - 3 pounds sirloin tips, cut into 1.5-2 inch pieces
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2 pounds of baby potatoes, washed and cut into cubes (do this just before they go into the stew at the 2-hour mark, otherwise they’ll oxidise!)
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1 pint of button mushrooms, de-stemmed and thinly sliced
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3-4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
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3-4 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
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3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced (or minced, whatever your preference)
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1 large onion, sliced
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2 qts. Beef Broth
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1c. Red wine (I like a Cabernet Sauvignon, but whatever you have is fine)
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1/4c. Worcestershire sauce
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1/4c. Soy sauce
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3-4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
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3 Tbsp. flour
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2 Tbsp. Avocado oil (or olive oil, whichever you have is fine)
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2 Tbsp. Tomato paste
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2 Tbsp. Whole grain mustard
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2 Tbsp. dried Thyme
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1-2 Tbsp. fresh Rosemary (you can leave the leaves whole or mince them, whatever you prefer)
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2 Bay leaves
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1/2 tsp. Chili flakes (optional)
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Salt and Pepper to taste
***Don’t panic. I know that list looks long, but it’s really not that bad. My best piece of advice is to do all of the prep work (peeling, chopping, cutting) earlier in the day (except for the potatoes). You can do this!***
Instructions:
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Spread out the pieces of beef on a baking sheet in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Let sit 15-20 minutes.
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Set oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit.
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Add Avocado Oil to Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
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Brown the beef in batches. Do not add all of the beef in at once, make sure it has space to brown. Once browned, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.
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Drop the heat to medium and add the carrots, onions, parsnips, thyme, and rosemary (and chili flakes if you opted to use them). Stir occasionally until everything just begins to soften.
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Add garlic, cook 30 seconds to a minute.
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Add tomato paste and stir. Cook 2-3 minutes.
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Add flour, stir. Cook 2-3 minutes.
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Add wine, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Soy sauce. Stir, let cook 2-3 minutes.
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Add the beef back in along with the bay leaves (I take this time to infuse the bay leaves with intention), then pour in the beef broth.
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Cover and place in the oven for two hours.
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Just before the two hours is up, wash and cut the potatoes.
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Remove stew from the oven and add the potatoes. Stir, cover, and place back into the oven for one hour.
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Just before the last hour is up, saute the sliced mushrooms over medium heat in butter. Do this in batches, don’t crowd the mushrooms or they’ll have a rubbery consistency. Give them space in the pan!
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Remove stew from oven, add mushrooms, and serve! I love it with a crusty piece of sourdough.