Old-Fashioned Beef Stew Recipe

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew Recipe

Ingredients

Makes 6 To 8 Servings

• 3 pounds boneless beef chuck
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil (possibly a little more)
• 2 medium red or yellow onions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 to 4 cups beef broth (boxed, canned, or reconstituted from bouillon)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 good-sized cloves)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound (about 15) red creamer potatoes, halved
• 1 pound baby carrots, left whole

Method

1. Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 325°f
2. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and put it on a cutting board
3. Use a sharp knife to trim off and discard any visible outer fat, then cut the meat into a couple of large pieces where it naturally seems to be separating
4. Cut these larger chunks into 1½-inch cubes (no smaller-if you make them too small, they will cook too quickly and toughen)
5. Sprinkle the meat with the salt and a liberal amount of pepper
6. Place an ovenproof soup pot or a dutch oven over medium-high heat
7. After about a minute, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan
8. Carefully add half of the beef cubes, and cook, undisturbed, for about 3 minutes
9. If you crowd the pan with all of the meat, it will steam in its own juices instead of browning
10. You will know it is browned properly when it no longer seems to stick to the pan when you nudge a cube with tongs
11. Use tongs to carefully turn the cubes to another side and continue browning for about 8 minutes, turning the pieces as they cook until they’re deep golden brown on all sides
12. Transfer the browned meat to a medium-large bowl and set aside
13. If the pan looks dry and the bits left on the surface seem to be burning, add a little more olive oil to the pan
14. You want a thin film over the entire surface
15. Add the remaining meat and brown as described
16. Transfer to the bowl and set aside
17. Without cleaning the pan, pour in a little more olive oil (just enough to coat the bottom)
18. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften
19. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to combine
20. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally
21. Then slowly whisk in 3 cups of the broth
22. It will make a thick sauce for a moment before thinning out
23. Whisk in the tomato paste, garlic, and thyme, and add the bay leaves
24. Return the browned beef to the pot and check to see that the liquid reaches the top of the meat
25. If not, add a bit more broth or bouillon
26. Bring to a boil over high heat
27. As soon as the liquid reaches the boiling point, turn off the heat
28. Cover the pot tightly with foil and cover that with a lid, too, if you have one that fits tightly
29. You want to capture all the steam as the meat cooks
30. Transfer the pot to the oven and cook, undisturbed, for 1 hour
31. Carefully open the pot (to avoid getting burned by the steam that will escape), and stir in the potatoes and carrots
32. Cover again with the foil and lid, and return the pot to the oven for another 1 hour of cooking
33. Remove the pot from the oven and let the stew sit, still covered, for 10 minutes before serving
34. Remove the bay leaves
35. Serve hot or warm

Full List of Beef Recipes
Full List of Stew Recipes