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beef stew

pwjohnso avatar
Recipe by
Patrick Johnson
@pwjohnso
Kingwood, TX

As the cool weather sets in, you may be craving the comfort of beef stew. This recipe employs a little science to recreate the texture of beefy goodness that is traditionally developed by making beef stock from scratch.

yield 8 -10
prep time 15 Min
cook time 3 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For beef stew

  • 2 1/8 md
    garlic cloves, minced
  • 6
    anchovy fillets, minced
  • 2 Tbsp
    tomato paste
  • 3 lb
    beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 Tbsp
    vegetable oil
  • 1 lg
    onion, halved and cut into 1/8-inch slices
  • 4 md
    carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/4 c
    flour, all purpose
  • 2 c
    red wine
  • 2 c
    chicken broth
  • 2
    bay leaves
  • 4 sprig
    thyme, fresh
  • 4 oz
    salt pork, rinced of excess salt
  • 1 lb
    yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 c
    frozen pearl onions, thawed
  • 2 tsp
    gelatin, unflavored, powdered
  • 1/2 c
    water
  • 1 c
    frozen peas, thawed
  • salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

How To Make beef stew

  • 1
    Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine garlic and anchovies in small bowl; press with back of fork to form paste. Stir in tomato paste and set mixture aside.
  • 2
    Pat meat dry with paper towels. Do not season. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add half of beef and cook until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total, reducing heat if oil begins to smoke or fond begins to burn. Transfer beef to large plate. Repeat with remaining beef and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, leaving second batch of meat in pot after browning.
  • 3
    Reduce heat to medium and return first batch of beef to pot. Add onion and carrots to Dutch oven and stir to combine with beef. Cook, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits, until onion is softened, 1 to 2 minutes.
  • 4
    Add garlic mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • 5
    Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until no dry flour remains, about 30 seconds.
  • 6
    Slowly add wine, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits. Increase heat to high and allow wine to simmer until thickened and slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.
  • 7
    Stir in broth, bay leaves, thyme, and salt pork. Bring to simmer, cover, transfer to oven, and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
  • 8
    Remove pot from oven; remove and discard bay leaves and salt pork. Stir in potatoes, cover, return to oven, and cook until potatoes are almost tender, about 45 minutes.
  • 9
    Using large spoon, skim any excess fat from surface of stew. Stir in pearl onions; cook over medium heat until potatoes and onions are cooked through and meat offers little resistance when poked with fork (meat should not be falling apart), about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over water in small bowl and allow to soften for 5 minutes.
  • 10
    Increase heat to high, stir in softened gelatin mixture and peas; simmer until gelatin is fully dissolved and stew is thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve.
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