The Stew to End All Stews

I really, really like stew. I like to cook it and eat it and share it with the people in my life. I've tried out a number of stews over the years, and this is the one that I make now.  A good stew is labor intensive and takes time, so make sure you have at least 3-4 hours to get down.

Stuff You Need

o  Cooking oil & olive oil

o  16-20 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

o  2 cups diced onion

o  3-3.5 lbs stew beef, cut into small cubes, 1"x1"

o  1.5-2 cups dry red wine

o  2 cups chopped carrot

o  2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

o  1 teaspoon black pepper

o  2 bay leaves

o  2 cups beef broth

o  2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, with juice

o  3 pounds peeled potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces 

o  1 cup water

o  1 tablespoon butter

o  2-3 tablespoons flour

o  1.5 cups green beans, stems removed, cut into 1”-2" pieces

o  2 cups portabella mushrooms, cut into pieces

Putting it Together

Preheat oven to 300°.

Heat a large Dutch oven or all metal soup pot over medium-high heat. Coat pot with cooking oil. Add garlic and sauté until it begins to brown. Set the garlic aside in a big bowl and re-coat the pan with oil. Sauté your onions until they get translucent and tender, and then add them to the garlic bowl and re-coat the pot with oil. Add 1/3 of the beef to the pan and brown it on all sides. Dump the meat and meat juice in the garlic bowl. Repeat until all meat is browned and added to the garlic/onions.

Add wine to pot and bring it to a boil. Add beef, onions and garlic to the pot, and stir in beef broth, tomatoes (with juice) and water. Add bay leaves, pepper and rosemary. Bring to a boil and then add carrots and 1/3 of your potatoes - these will cook into the broth. Turn off the stove, cover the pot and bake at 300°. 

Now is a good time to prep your mushrooms. Heat a couple of teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and add mushrooms. Sauté until cooked down and tender, adding salt and pepper to taste. Put mushrooms and juices aside in a bowl. Wash your pan and melt the butter, adding in the flour until it makes a nice thick roux.

Remove the stew pot from the oven after an hour to an hour and a half. Add the rest of the potatoes, beans, mushrooms and roux. Now is a good time to test the broth and see what's going on. You may want to add more broth, wine or water, salt and pepper or other spices. When you're satisfied, cover the pot and bake for another hour and a half to two hours. 

Fish the bay leaves out of the pot and serve with nice crusty bread.