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| classic beef stew |
when it's cold outside and you want to serve a meal that warms you from the inside out, pull out your slow cooker, set it in the morning and settle in for a lazy afternoon with a good book (or, like me, use your freed up afternoon to finish doing laundry and return those emails you forgot to send earlier in the week : )
prep time: 20 mins
cook time: 4 to 8 hrs, depending on your slow cooker setting
ingredients:
- 3 lbs beef bottom round, cut in 2" cubes
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-1/2 cups dry red wine (i like a good Pinot Noir)
- 1 cup stock (chicken or beef, whatever you have)
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 large carrots, cut into slender chunks
- 1/2 lb cremini mushrooms
- (1) 10oz bag frozen pearl onions, thawed
season beef very generously with salt and pepper and place in a plastic bag with the flour. roll beef around until all pieces are evenly coated. pull beef from bag, shaking off excess flour and set aside. in a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat oil over medium high. sear all sides of beef cubes until golden brown. work in batches if necessary and tranfer to slow cooker. i like to use a disposable slow cooker bag, your clean up will be so much faster!
pour off majority of fat from pan and add garlic. deglaze with the red wine and dislodge the delicious brown bits from the bottom. add the stock, thyme, bay leaves and pour mixture over beef. stir in carrots, cover and set timer to AUTO (2 hrs on high, 2 on low).
i like to give my mushrooms a little extra love before i add them to the rest of the stew. warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, add garlic powder, salt and pepper. drop mushrooms, leaving ample space to breath, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. mushrooms should become tender and edges should begin to crisp slightly. cook in batches if necessary, set aside once complete.
when you have one hour left, stir in the mushrooms and onions. season again with a tablespoon of salt and continue to cook. once cooking is complete, skim fat from top, pull bay leaves and thyme sprigs and serve alonside an arugala and bacon salad with roasted potatoes. enjoy!
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