Beef Stew
Beef stew is the perfect dinner for a cold winter night. Unfortunately, there isn't much of a way to cheat it as a quick meal. But the good news? It tastes even better once you've cooked it if you let it sit in the fridge for a day or two.
This results in the perfect plan: cook up the yummiest stew on the planet on a Sunday evening while you lounge around dreading Monday, and make your Monday so much better by having delicious stew, already ready for dinner!
Genius.
What I love about the below recipe, from my beloved Serious Eats, is their "umami bomb" stock that makes this the most flavorful stew you've ever had. Don't question the anchovy, people!
Recipe adapted from Serious Eats
- 2 cups stock (beef stock or chicken stock)
- 1 packed unflavored gelatin
- 1 T tomato paste
- 1 T soy sauce
- 1 anchovy
- 1 T Worcester sauce
- 2 T vegetable oil
- 1.5 lbs stew beef
- Salt and pepper
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 carrot, whole and peeled
- 4 oz pearl onions, defrosted (if frozen) or peeled (if raw)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped in half
- 1 celery stalk, chopped in half
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 c red wine
- 1 T flour
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 oz frozen peas
Whisk together stock, gelatin, tomato paste, soy sauce, anchovy, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl and set aside.
In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season beef all over with salt and pepper and add to Dutch oven. Cook, turning occasionally, until beef is well browned on 2 sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer beef to a bowl and set aside.
Add diced carrots and pearl onions to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring, until well-browned on all sides. Season to taste with salt and pepper then transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Add halved yellow onion to Dutch oven, cut-side-down. Add whole carrot, celery sticks, and garlic. Cook, turning carrot, celery, and garlic occasionally until all the vegetables are well-browned, about 4 minutes.
Add wine, scrape up browned bits with a wooden spoon, and cook until reduced by 3/4. Add broth mixture and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
Toss seared beef with flour. Add beef and any juices accumulated in the tray or plate to the Dutch oven along with bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Stir to combine and return to a simmer over medium heat. Lower the heat to the lowest it can be with the stew still simmering, cover with the lid, and cook until beef is starting to become tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Check the stew every so often and stir to keep the bottom from sticking. If it gets too dry, add some more broth.
Using tongs, fish out and discard carrot, celery, thyme, bay leaves, onion, and garlic. Add pearl onions, and carrots to stew and continue to cook, partially covered, until beef and carrots are tender and broth has thickened, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Stir in peas. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, or let cool overnight or for up to 5 days and reheat to serve.