To celebrate the first day of autumn I made up a large batch of beef stew, plenty of leftovers for tomorrow!
Beef Stew
Ingredients:
2 lbs beef stew meat, in small cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
6 ounce can tomato paste
4 cups lower sodium beef broth
1 tsp Italian herb seasoning
1 bay leaf
3/4 tsp diced dried garlic
6 white potatoes, cut into small chunks
1 1/2 cups peeled and sliced carrots
Directions:
Put the flour and pepper in a large bag, add in the meat and shake to coat.
In a large deep non-stick skillet heat the oil over medium high heat. Add in the meat and onions, cook till browned, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, broth and seasonings, stirring well. Bring to a boil, cover tightly and turn to low. Let simmer gently for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Add in the carrots and potatoes and let continue to cook on low for at least 45 more minutes.
Take out the bay leaf, season to taste with more pepper and salt as desired.
Serves at least 6 large bowls.
~Sarah
Sarah, this looks real tasty. The key to great stew is well-browned meat. Depending on the size of your skillet, it may be better to brown in two batches so that the meat is separated in the pan, not crowded. The browning creates fond on the bottom of the pan, where the great flavor comes from. Deglazing the fond with the liquid (tomatoes and broth) frees the deliciousness into the stew.
I found this fantastic HUGE pan at Costco – and our stove has a wide burner so I get to cheat 🙂