French Peasant Beef Stew
>> Thursday, January 17, 2013
My mom makes an awesome beef stew, and with this cold snap we've had, I decided to make it for dinner one night. Being pregnant, when I have a craving, I want it right that instant. So I immediately called mom for her recipe...but she wasn't home. So I headed to the grocery store and just hoped that I could wing it. While my recipe wasn't exactly like my mom's recipe, it was still delicious - and easy! Since I cooked it low and slow, it wasn't necessary to pre-cook the vegetables and the potatoes broke down and served to thicken the broth of the stew. And the meat was fall-apart tender...yum! Serve with crusty bread and a glass of the remaining red wine and you've got a fantastic winter meal.
French Peasant Beef Stew
2 T vegetable oil
2 - 2 1/2 lb beef stew meat
1/2 bottle good quality red wine
2 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 t herbes de provence
3 1-inch pieces of orange rind
salt and pepper
32 oz low sodium beef broth
16 oz fresh whole mushrooms, cleaned and halved (or quartered if large)
2-3 large carrots, thinly sliced
2-3 celery ribs, sliced
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
1 large baking potato, peeled and cubed
2 T worcestershire sauce
1/8 - 1/4 t ground cloves
In a large pot or dutch oven, add the vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat. In batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pot, quickly sear/brown the beef. Remove beef to a plate.
Lower heat to medium. Pour in red wine, bay leaves, garlic, herbes de provence, orange rind and a little salt and pepper and scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Let simmer for a few minutes, 2-3 minutes. Stir in beef broth.
Add meat back into the pot. Add mushrooms, carrots, celery, potatoes and onions. Stir well. Cover pot and let simmer 20-30 minutes. Stir again and lower heat to low, stirring occasionally, and let cook for 4-5 hours.
About an hour before serving, stir in worcestershire sauce and cloves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf before serving.
