Stew was a common fall and winter meal for my family growing up. Sometimes my mom would use beef and sometimes she would use venison, but there were always potatoes, carrots and peas. She would typically start it early on a Saturday and we would have stew on the stove throughout the weekend, so you could come into the kitchen after raking leaves or shoveling snow and grab a warm bowl of hearty stew, which we all loved.
Because of these childhood memories, stew just screams chilly weather, puffy sweaters and a fireplace full of logs to me. It is cozy and filling and perfect for a large family gathering… or a weeks worth of leftovers.
Let’s get it started…
To get started, pick out 1 1/2-2 pounds of beef. Classic stew meat is typically cubed up chuck, but you can also use beef tips or even cube up a small pot roast for stew. For the vegetables, you will need 6 ounces of peas (frozen is fine!), 4 carrots, 4 potatoes, 4 cloves of garlic and 1 yellow onion.
You will also need 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, 3 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 beef bouillon cube, 5 cups of beef stock, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
Begin by tossing your beef cubes with 1/4 cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Be sure to separate all of the cubes to ensure that they are all lightly coated in the flour, salt and pepper.
Place 1 tablespoon of butter in a 5 quart braiser or 5 quart dutch oven and place it over medium to medium high heat. Brown the beef cubes for several minutes on each side and as soon as they are browned, transfer them onto plate and set them aside.
Reduce the heat to medium (if you had it above medium, that is) and add 2 tablespoons of butter into the hot braiser. Look at all of those beautiful brown bits left behind from the beef! These brown bits are a very important element of the delicious flavor of our stew, so as you stir the ingredients that will eventually be added to this braiser, be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to work them up into the stew.
Once the butter has melted, add 1 chopped medium yellow onion and cook for 3-4 minutes.
As soon as the onions begin to soften, add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and 4 minced cloves of garlic to the pan and cook, stirring consistently, for about 60 seconds.
Once the garlic and tomato paste smells really fragrant, add 1 cup of beef stock and scrape any remaining brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan up into the broth.
Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce, 1 beef bouillon cube, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and whisk to combine.
Add the remaining 4 cups of beef stock and bring this mixture up to a simmer.
Now add 4 chopped carrots, 4 chopped potatoes and the browned beef cubes.
Cover the braiser and simmer this stew on medium to medium low for 45-60 minutes.
Once the carrots and potatoes are tender, whisk in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and 6 ounces of peas and allow the stew to simmer uncovered for another 2-3 minutes. Once the broth as thickened a bit, the stew is ready!
Something to mention is the warm, hearty aroma that your kitchen will be filled with as this stew simmers away on your stove top. It just makes me smile and then when I lift the cover off of my big beautiful Le Creuset braiser, it looks just as lovely and inviting as it smells…
The beef is tender and flavorful and the vegetables are cooked through, but not mushy, so there is a great amount of texture throughout this stew. The broth is thick and luscious with notes of garlic and onions. There are great layers of flavors from the tomato paste, worcestershire sauce and seasoning we added early on and just the tiniest hint of sweetness from the brown sugar.
It is so delicious…
I recommend serving this beef stew with some great bread and this brown beer bread is the perfect partner for a hearty beef stew. You will thank me when you have a bit of beef broth left behind in your bowl and your only other option is to tip the bowl toward your face…
Bread is a necessity…
Enjoy!
Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 1/2-2 pounds stew meat, cubed
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
- 4 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled, chopped
- 6 ounces peas
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 5 cups beef stock
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning mix
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Combine the cubed stew meat with 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper in a large bowl and toss until all of the cubes have been separated and lightly coated
- Add 1 tablespoon of butter into a 5 quart braiser or 5 quart dutch oven and place it over medium to medium high heat
- Once the butter has melted, add the coated beef cubes and cook for several minutes, flipping the cubes occasionally, until the exterior is browned and then transfer them onto a plate and set aside
- Reduce the heat to medium and add 2 tablespoons of butter into the braiser
- Once the butter has melted, add 1 chopped yellow onion and cook for 3-4 minutes
- Once the onions have begun to soften, add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and 4 minced garlic cloves and cook, stirring consistently, for about 60 seconds
- Once the garlic is quite fragrant, add 1 cup of beef stock into the braiser and scrape the bottom of the pan until all of the brown bits left behind from the beef have been brought up into the broth
- Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce, 1 beef bouillon cube, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and whisk to combine
- Add the remaining 4 cups of beef stock and bring the mixture up to a simmer
- Once simmering, add 4 chopped carrots, 4 chopped potatoes and the browned beef
- Cover the braiser and simmer on medium to medium low for 45-60 minutes
- Combine 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cool water in a small cup until smooth
- Once the carrots and potatoes are tender, whisk in the cornstarch mixture and 6 ounces of peas and let the stew simmer uncovered for another 3-4 minutes
- Allow leftovers to cool a bit before transferring them into the refrigerator