Beef Stew

Delicious slow cooked stew that is simple and consistently good.

Beef Stew is one of the comfort foods that I love to make in the colder months.  I especially love throwing everything into the crockpot early in the day so that dinner is ready in the evening without any further preparation.  I do not find that browning the meat ahead of time makes any difference in this recipe, so I leave that step out - eliminating the need to clean another pan! Feel free to add the vegetables of your choice and substitute more beef broth if you do not wish to use red wine.

2 Large Onions, peeled and quartered

1 lb Stew Beef

(I used Extra Lean Beef Round)

1 lb Potatoes, quartered

(Yukon gold)

1 lb Carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces

8 oz Baby Portobello Mushrooms

2 sprigs of fresh Rosemary (or 2 tsp dried)

2 sprigs of fresh Oregano (or 2 tsp dried)

2 cups Beef Broth

1 cup Red Wine (or additional Beef Broth)

2 cloves Garlic, minced

4 Tbsp Tomato Paste

1/4 cup Water

2 Tbsp Cornstarch

Salt and Pepper to taste

In the bowl of your crockpot, place the onions.  

Put the beef on top of the onions.

Next, layer on the potatoes, carrots and mushrooms.

Lay the rosemary and oregano sprigs on top, or if you are using dried herbs,

sprinkle over the top.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the broth, wine, garlic and tomato paste.

Stir well and pour over the top of the meat and vegetables.

Set your crockpot to cook for 6-8 hours on the Low setting, or 4 hours on High.

One half hour before the stew is finished, 

mix the water and cornstarch together to make a slurry that will thicken the stew.

Pour into the stew and stir well.

Cover and allow the stew to finish its time in the crockpot.

Season with salt and pepper and serve!

Makes 6 servings.