I’ve never been a big fan of beef stew until I made some a few months ago. Maybe my tasted buds have “grow-up” but the stew was just so warm and hearty. The beef was so tender and the potatoes and carrots were hearty and cozy. The whole dish just gave me the feeling of being wrapped tight in a warm,  blanket. I was probably experiencing a carb high but whatever the feeling was, it was great.

This past weekend, I made another batch of stew and it was just as good at the first time. Typically, beef stew has red wine in it and a bit of vinegar but this time I left those ingredients out and I think it made the dish even better. Being able to customize a dish exactly to your taste is one of the best parts of home cooking.

I would seriously encourage all of you to try out this recipe. If you’re on the east coast like I am, the forecasters are calling for a bit of snow this weekend. This stew would be the PERFECT snowed day meal. If you do decide to make this beef stew, be sure to leave me a comment and let me know how it turns out.

Happy Eating!

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Ingredients:

4 stalks of celery                                              5 carrots                                           1 shallot

1 yellow onion                                                2 cloves of garlic                     1 lb of beef for stew

1 stick of salted butter                                  1/4 cup of flour      4-6 cups of chicken/beef broth

Fresh thyme (according to taste)                3 golden potatoes           1 can of peas

Salt/Pepper/Garlic/Onion powder to taste

Directions:

1. Dice 3 stalks of celery, 3 carrots, shallot, onion and garlic into small pieces.
2. Season vegetable and cook in a dutch oven until soft in a bit of butter or oil. Remove from pot when done.
3. While the vegetables are cooking, season the meat. Season with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder.
4. Using about a tablespoon of flour, very lightly sprinkle over meat.
5. Transfer meat to a lightly oiled pot (used the same dutch oven that the vegetables were cooked in) and brown on all sides. Be sure not to completely cook the meat. Remove from pot when done.
6. Using the butter and flour make a rue in the same dutch oven. To make a rue, melt the butter in the pot. When hot, swiftly wisk in the flour stirring constantly. When the mixture begins to smell like “cookie dough” pour in 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Be sure to wisk fast during the entire process or the rue to be lumpy.
7. After your rue has been made, add in the remaining chicken broth and stir together.
8. Chop up the remaining carrots and celery into big chunky pieces. Quarter the potatoes
9. Combine the meat, diced vegetables, carrots, thyme, and celery into the pot and cook for about 20 minutes. Taste along the way and add seasonings if desired.
10. After about 20-25 minutes, add in potatoes and peas. Cook until potatoes are done.
11. Eat, enjoy and be happy!

A few notes about this recipe:

– I cooked everything in the same cast iron pot so that I could retain as much drippings/flavor as possible. Plus I didn’t feel like washing a TON of dishes.

– As usual, I didn’t measure out the seasons. People’s tastes vary so much so season this dish according to your taste. Use your best judgment!