Classic comfort food, Beef Stew Recipe

There is something so soul warming like a rich satisfying savory beef stew on a cool winter evening with some crispy oven roasted potatoes with onions and herbs. This is a classic basic recipe for beef stew. You could interchange some of the mirepoix (celery, carrot and onion) ingredients or add some additional ingredients like diced turnips, parsnip, rutabaga and/or celery root to name a few possibilities. Remember, recipes are the foundation framework for you to build or grow upon as your tastes or desires change, if you care to change the ingredients at all.

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds Beef chuck, good internal marbling, well trimmed, cut into 1″ dice. Please don’t use lean cuts like top round (London Broil) or eye of round.

Diced beef chuck meat

3 TBSP pure olive oil
2 cups each of carrot, celery & onion chopped into 1/2″ pieces (also known as mirepoix)
10 cloves peeled garlic cloves
2 TBSP Grate Grinds Chef Seasoning Salt
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups good red wine (If you wouldn’t drink with it, don’t cook with it. I’m not saying to use an $80.00 bottle of 15 year old Spanish Tempranillo, either)
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz.)
1 TBSP chicken base (see photo below for brand suggestion)
1 TBSP beef base (see photo below for brand suggestion)
4 bay leaves
A/R Water

Here is the brand of base we use for cooking. It is kept refrigerated and is in paste form:

METHOD:

In a large pot over high heat, brown the diced beef in batches, seasoning each batch with the Grate Grinds Chef Seasoning Salt. Remove each batch of diced beef, before starting to brown the next batch, allowing the pot to get hot again between browning each batch.

2. Add the olive oil, mirepoix and garlic cloves to the pot and grind the Chef Seasoning salt onto the vegetables. Sauté for 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to get a little color.

3. Add the beef back into the pot.

Adding the beef into the mirepoix.

4. Add the butter to the pot and stir it around to melt it. Stir in the flour and let it mix with the butter, stirring for 1 minutes to cook and incorporate the butter/flour mix (roux).

5. Deglaze with the red wine and cook for 3 to5 minutes to reduce slightly.

6. Add the diced tomatoes and both the chicken and beef base. You could certainly use canned or boxed beef and chicken stock if you prefer or have on hand and NOT use the water listed below.

7. Add water to just barely cover the beef. (Omit if you are used canned or boxed stock, as it already contains the water.)

8. Cover an simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Check the tenderness of the beef. If it is too chewy, cook it another 15 minutes. If it is a tender and chews easily, then you’re there! Don’t over cook it either or the meat will fall apart. The beef should be, to take an Italian term, “al dente”, just firm to the bite. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional Chef Seasoning Salt. Enjoy!

Classic Beef Stew

Your classic beef stew ready to eat.