Stews have been made since ancient times with the oldest known evidence of stew found in Japan. A stew typically has raw ingredients added to the gravy including any combination of vegetables and may include meat such as beef, pork, lamb, poultry, and sausages. Stock is the common liquid used and a small amount of red wine is often added for flavor as well as other seasonings. They are often cooked at a low temperature – simmered, not boiled – which allows the flavors to mingle. The beauty of a stew is you can add whatever vegetables you wish to the meat.
Of course, the star of the show in Beef Stew is the meat. Please do not use prepackaged, precut stew meat. Stew meat mostly comes from the tougher, larger parts of the cow. Chuck roast is a better alternative and comes from the large shoulder of a cow. You will need to cut it into cubes discarding any large pieces of fat, but it only takes a couple of minutes longer and is so worth it.
Cut a 2 ½ pound of chuck roast into 1-inch cubes and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and flour. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and quickly brown the beef on all sides for no more than 1 minute a side. You want the beef cubes to still be pink in the middle. Do not crowd the pan; I usually brown it in 3 batches, adding more olive oil as necessary. Transfer the browned cubes directly into the slow cooker. Deglaze the pan with a big splash of red wine – scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan – and pour into the slow cooker.
Dissolve 2 beef bullions cubes in 1 quart of heated beef stock and add to the slow cooker along with 1 cup of red wine, 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce, 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 pound of baby potatoes cut in half, as many petite carrots as you prefer, 6 ounces of frozen petite onions, 2 bay leaves and 1 branch of rosemary. Give it a stir, pop the lid on the slow cooker, and cook for 8 hours on low. I usually stir every hour or so.
Meanwhile, remove the stems from ½ pound of mushrooms and discard, wipe the caps with a damp paper towel and slice into ¼ inch slices. Sauté in 3 tablespoons of butter until lightly browned and set aside.
30 minutes before the stew is ready, add the sauteed mushrooms, as many frozen peas as you prefer and ¼ pound of butter mixed with ¼ cup of flour and stir well. When the stew is ready, let it rest for 10 minutes uncovered with the heat off before serving. You can serve over rice, mashed potatoes, noodles or just plain in a bowl (my preference).
This is the perfect one dish meal for those chilly nights. Easy. Delicious. Nutritious. I hope you will try it. Enjoy!