Beef stew is a popular dish and comes in many varieties. I've previously posted my Guinness Beef Stew and Julia Child's famous Boeuf Bourguignon. But today I'm making the classic beef stew and providing you with a number of options most commonly found in northern American states.
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| Classic American Beef Stew |
You can easily make this dish several days ahead of serving, which is good because it does take about 3.5 hours to prepare this meal. Now you won't be in the kitchen the entire time, but as the dish is made with chuck roast which is tough, a long, slow cook is needed to tenderize the otherwise flavorful meat.
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| Cut and dry the beef. |
The recipe isn't fussy and you can adjust the ingredients as you see fit, while following the basic outlines. Once you've made this a time or two, you will no longer require the recipe. Do not however eliminate the browning of the meat, as this builds flavor. Also be sure to always include the garlic, anchovy and tomato pastes as these are high in glutamates which give meat its savory taste. To mimic the silky, mouth-coating texture of beef stews made with homemade bone broth, rich in gelatin, I include powdered gelatin and flour.
Ingredients (4-6 servings)
2-3 medium garlic cloves
2-3 teaspoons anchovy paste
(or about 4 anchovy fillets, finely minced)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 boneless beef chuck-eye roast
(2-4 pounds)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large white or Spanish onion
4 medium carrots
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups red wine
2 cups chicken broth
2-3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound potatoes
(Yukon Gold or red potatoes)
1-2 cups frozen vegetables
(pearl onions, peas and/or mixed vegetables)
2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin (about 1 packet)
1/2 - 1 cup water
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Ingredients: Gather all of your ingredients onto your counter. Peel and mince or crush the garlic. Trim the roast of excess fat and cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes. Peel and thinly slice the onion. Peel and cut the carrots into 1-inch pieces. Wash the potatoes and set aside whole. Do not cut until ready to add to the partially cooked roast as noted in the recipe. Set the frozen vegetables out in a bowl to thaw.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine garlic, anchovy and tomato paste in small bowl.
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. Reduce heat to medium and return first batch of beef to pot so all the beef is now in the Dutch oven.
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. Add garlic mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until no dry flour remains, about 30 seconds.
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. Stir in broth, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to simmer, cover, transfer to oven, and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove pot from oven and remove and discard bay leaves. Cut potatoes into 1 inch pieces (skin on or peeled at your discretion). Stir in potatoes, cover, return to oven, and cook until potatoes are almost tender, about 35-45 minutes.
Remove pot from oven and using large spoon, skim any excess fat from surface of stew. Using a fork check to see if meat pulls about easily. Test potatoes for doneness. Stir in water as needed to achieve your desired broth quantity (we like more broth, others like the dish more dry). Stir in the now thawed frozen vegetables and heat until the pot returns to a simmer.
Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over water in small bowl and allow to soften for 5 minutes.
Increase heat to high, stir in softened gelatin mixture and 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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