# Beef Stew Recipe



## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Last night I was looking for an interesting potato recipe in the Williams-Sonoma potato cookbook. The book has great photos of the plated recipes, and one of the photos included a picture of beef stew. The sauce just glistenedand wrapped the meat and veggies in a comforting blanket of goodness. Boy, talk about comfort food. Today is cold and grey, and it's raining. Might be a good day to make some beef stew. Does anyone have a good recipe that they'd care to share?

I'd like something with a thick sauce that has not been thickened with lots of flour - something along the lines of a well-reduced braise, maybe with some wine in it? Just a thought - maybe make the stew with something other than chuck roast. What would you suggest? Round? I don't mind a firm textured meat in the stew. Perhaps with some potatoes (what kind), carrots, peas - what else might be good - mushrooms maybe? Onions?

I've never made a beef stew before so any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

_*Edit:* Just remembered - I made an Ethiopian stew a couple of times. It was durned good._


----------



## headless chicken (Apr 28, 2003)

I use to do a great braised beef shortribs, not really a stew but it'll be thick like the way you described without any thickening agents. 
Chunks of shortribs browned with a little flour, salt and pepper. Cook out some mire poix, add a couple whole cloves of garlic (adding in potatoes and/or mushrooms here should be do able), deglaze with red wine, add meat back in, fill with beef stock just enough to cover, add in some thyme and rosemary, bring to a simmer and cook it out for 2 hours either over the stove, in the oven at 400F, or a combination of both.


----------



## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

Cut some chuck into 2 inch cubes, sear in a very hot pan, remove and set aside. Deglaze the pan by adding onions and a splash of red wine. Chopped garlic can go in towards the end if you want. Add some homemade beef stock that has been reduced by half(this really intensifies the flavor). Add the meat back to the pan along with your root veggies of choice(carrot and potato are my usual). Simmer until the beef is tender and the carrots are done. I usually hold off on adding the potato until the meat is closer to done or they tend to fall apart(this will add natural starch and somewhat thicken the stew). If you really want it thick use arrowroot or cornstarch to thicken.

edit: Use salt and pepper to taste as you go, I generally assume most people know how to cook and leave it out of recipes :lol:


----------



## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Brisket is a good meat for a stew. A bit tougher and fattier than chuck, but quite flavorful, it will take longer to get tender. Usually when I use brisket as the base for stew or chili I do it overnight in an oven set as low as it will go.

One thing I like is a fruited beef stew. Basically start it out like your regular stew, but leave out the carrots, celery, potatoes. Add in some crushed tomatoes and about half a pound or so of dried fruit, like peaches, apricots - my favorite though is using all dried cherries.

mjb.


----------



## irish foodie (Sep 16, 2008)

i buy some slices of silverside beef and cube it myself because i like smaller cubes of meat. these i then pop into a bowl of flour - i don't add salt and pepper to the flour because i season later.

then heat a frying pan with a little oil until it is smoking. put on about 8 - 10 cubes at a time and turn them until brown. don't put any more on because the meat won't brown as well.

in a larger saucepan at the side i have some red wine warming and as the beef cubes brown i put them into that pan and then repeat the browning with the next batch of floured cubes of beef. in between the browning of cubes you might want to deglaze the frying pan from time to time by adding a glug of red wine (be careful - it will flame very easily!).

when all the beef is browned and in the wine i simmer for a while (covered) to allow the beef to cook. then later some bullion (for extra liquid) and then i add cubes of carrot, onion, and a little diced celery. i also add a couple of bay leaves. (sometimes, just before the end of cooking as they cook so quickly, i will add some cubed sweet potato). if you would like to add some tiny button mushroom i would suggest frying them off very quickly in a red hot pan first to take a lot of the moisture content out of them and browning them adds a better flavour imo.

then into the stew i add a can or two of chopped tomatoes.

allow the whole lot to cook very, very gently over a tiny heat for a few hours (or alternatively in an oven proof dish, covered, in a medium oven). if cooking in a pan on a stove (the first option here) be sure to stir it regularly to avoid burning on the bottom of the saucepan.

the stew will thicken because of the flour on the cubes.

taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

i would serve this stew with mashed potatoes and i guarantee, it is a really comforting winter dish.


----------



## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Is beef bourgignion a stew? Had that a while back in a french restaurant and it's something I'd like to try if anyone has a recipe.


----------



## irish foodie (Sep 16, 2008)

yes, it is a stew.

here's a recipe:

BBC - Food - Recipes - Beef bourguignon


----------



## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

How about a beef version of a Lancashire hot pot. (this is a regional dish from the north of England. Usually made with shoulder of lamb)

Brown of small chunks of shoulder steak with onions in a little beef dripping.De-glaze with a glass of red wine and reduce to nothing. Add stock. Add leeks and carrots. Season.

When its all really done, thicken with beurre manie and tip into a deep dish.

Mandolin some floury potatoes and arrange in a circular way over the top
Drizzle with oodles of butter Salt and pepper and bake at gas 6 ???til crispy.


----------

