Stews – Page 2

It is one of those days. We all have them & I’m learning to despise them. I literally didn’t stop for one minute to enjoy this sunny, beautiful day until now (the windows flank my computer). I sprang from my bed at 4:30 am & haven’t stopped. I did, however, manage while making my lunch, to whip up a batch of Smoked Paprika Beef stew and get it in the crock pot to work its magic while I ran Easter shopping and carpool. This recipe is very forgiving. You can wing it and it will turn out beautifully.

Ingredients:

1 cup of all purpose flour (I use King Arthur Flour)
2 tablespoons of smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Ground pepper
2 teaspoons of olive oil
2-3 lbs of chuck or stew meat cubed
1 large onion, diced
1 small can of tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 cups of beef broth (I use low sodium)
4 medium potatoes, cubed (sweet or regular)
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
Parsley (fresh or dried)

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix your flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Add the beef cubes and toss to coat. In the meantime, add some olive oil to a sauté pan and turn the heat up to medium or so. Add the coated beef, in batches, and brown on each side. Remove and set aside on a plate with a paper towel (to drain). Then add the onion and paste. Stir and cook for 4-6 minutes. While that’s cooking, add the carrots, potatoes and beef to your slow cooker turning that to low (6 hours) or high (4 hours). Then add the onion/paste mixture. Return the pan to the stove and add the wine and scrape up the bottom bits (deglaze the pan). Cook for 2 minutes. Then pour over the top of the meat/veggies in the crock pot. Add the additional broth and spices. Cover and cook. Adjust spices and serve over rice or noodles… whichever you prefer. A good red wine and crusty bread will make this dinner perfect!

— Knead to Cook

Beef stew is one of those staples of cooler weather. I normally make this in the crock pot but in my cleaning frenzy today, I thought I would slow cook it in my Le Creuset Dutch Oven in the oven all afternoon. It’s just one of those things that makes you feel good. In the middle of holiday craziness, it is a welcoming aroma for sure.

Stews are typically cooked in the same manner. So once you get down the main components, you can customize it to what your family would like. One tip: Always remove the beef from the fridge and let it come to room temperature prior to cooking. Placing very cold beef in a hot pan with oil isn’t recommended.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of stew meat
Red wine (about 3 cups)
2 bay leaves
Salt
Peppers
All Purpose Flour (1/2 cup)
Olive oil
1 onion, quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped (still remaining in large pieces)
5 carrots, cut into large pieces
2 sweet potatoes or white/red potatoes
1 tsp of whole peppercorns (white or black)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried Rosemary

Directions:

To start, place your beef in a gallon size Ziploc baggie and add the wine, salt/pepper, bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns. Seal the bag and give it a good massage. Place in your fridge from 2-24 hours. Once done, place a strainer over a bowl and drain the meat/wine. Reserve the wine.

In a separate Ziploc, add the flour and salt and pepper. Add the meat and coat well. In the meantime, in your Dutch oven, heat some olive oil over a medium flame. Once the oil is hot, work in batches, browning the meat for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a platter to rest. Once all the meat is browned, add the onions, and carrots. Add additional olive oil if needed. Let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every so often. Then remove the veggies and place with the meat.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

Add the reserved wine marinade to the the Dutch oven and turn the heat all the way to high. Bring to a boil and scrape up the brown bits that remained from cooking the meat prior. This will add such great flavor to the wine for cooking. Once the bottom of the pan feels cleaned, add all of the meat and veggies back to the Dutch oven. Cover and place in the preheated oven.

Check on the liquid level about every hour and add additional wine or you can use beef broth as needed. I let this cook for about 4 to 6 hours. Remove your bay leaves before serving. Serve straight up or over noodles or rice. Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Smoked Paprika Beef Stew in the Crock Pot.

Drunken beef stew.