Beef Stew
This is based on a Julia Child recipe. The actual prep time for that recipe is at least 1-2 days. Let’s face it, we don’t live out in the country on a farm and have that kind of time to prepare this. If you start this at 9am, you can still have it for dinner by 6pm, but it does take time to prepare, marinate and cook. The longer you marinate it, the better it will taste. So, if you do have time to do this overnight, brown the meat, add wine, put it back in the fridge again overnight, then try it. I don’t have that kind of time or patience.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound chuck beef cubes for stew (cut into 1-2″ squares)
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 cup red wine (Zinfandel if possible)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cloves garlic
- Salt & Pepper
- 4 chopped plum tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 cup strong beef broth
METHOD
- Cut beef into 1-2″ chunks, season with salt and pepper and toss with olive oil, garlic, onion, carrots thyme and vinegar. Allow to marinate in fridge for at least 5-8 hours
- After marinating, separate beef from vegetables and braise beef on all sides in a Dutch oven.
- Cook vegetables in a heavy skillet until onions are translucent.
- Add vegetables to the pot with 2 bay leaves and deglaze with good red wine.
- Add beef stock and tomatoes, bring up to a simmer.
- Add in beef and allow to simmer for at least 3 hours.
