This is an amazing hearty, thick, beef stew recipe. I’ve made it dozens of times and tweaked it down to this which I don’t think I could make any better.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb. beef stew meat
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- 1 Tbsp beef bouillon
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 russet potato
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
How to make it
- Place 1/4 cup of the flour and the measured salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine; set aside. Place the meat in the flour mixture and toss to coat; set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Shake off the excess flour from about one-third of the meat and add it to the pot. Cook, stirring rarely, until browned all over, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining meat in 2 more batches; set aside.
- The bottom of the pot should look like a mess of nearly burned fond and beef juice, this is great for flavor. Don’t worry about it.
- Add the onion to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir to coat the onion, and cook until the raw flavor has cooked off, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the remaining tablespoon of flour and cook, stirring occasionally, until the raw flavor has cooked off, about 1 minute. Pour in the wine, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and cook until the mixture has thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Return the meat and any accumulated juices in the bowl to the pot. Add the broth, bay leaves, and thyme and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour.
- Cut the carrots, celery, and potatoes into large dice and add them to the pot. Stir to combine, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer, stirring every 10 minutes or so for about 1 hour more.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme stems. Stir in the peas and simmer uncovered until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
