It is officially winter, and we are making a cold weather classic: Beef Stew! This recipe is a special one because I’m making it in honor of my Dad’s birthday, and a man who loves nothing more than a good, rich bowl of stew for dinner. This is a dish that warms your heart, spirit, and most importantly, stomach. A big bowl of beef stew is what I imagine getting a hug from food must feel like, and it’s exactly what you want on a cold evening for dinner. There’s lots of hearty beef that braises until it’s fall-apart tender, a rich gravy flavored with tomato paste, tons of garlic, and a generous amount of red wine, and then lots of winter vegetables, like sweet carrots, little pearl onions, and my personal favorite, potatoes. I flavor mine with thyme and rosemary, but parsley and bay leaf are also delicious here. This dish is a classic for a reason, and you’ll see that I’m not reinventing the wheel with my recipe. It’s a filling stew that will warm even the coldest of winter days!
1. Red Wine
The red wine adds a delicious layer of flavor to this dish. Make sure you use something dry and reduce it well to cook off the alcohol and concentrate the flavor. If you don’t want to use red wine for any reason, a few tablespoons of red wine vinegar will add similar acidity, along with more stock to make up for the extra liquid you’d get from the wine
2. Tomato Paste
Cooking your tomato paste is something that the average home cook may not do, but it makes a world of difference in its flavor. Don’t skip this step!
3. Customize the Veggies
You can add any vegetables you like to this dish! Large chunks of onion work in place of pearl, almost any kind of potato will be great, and other root vegetables like turnips or parsnips will be delicious, too!
Classic Beef Stew
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, divided
- 2 ½ pounds beef, such as chuck or brisket, cut into 2-inch cubes
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
- 4 cups beef stock
- 4 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 4 medium red skin potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarters
- 1 (14 ounce) bag frozen pearl onions
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 6 thyme sprigs
- 4 small rosemary sprigs
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, or heavy bottomed pot over medium low heat, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once oil is lightly shimmering, add ⅓ of beef cubes and season with salt. Be sure not to overcrowd the pot. Sear for 3-4 minutes, or until deeply golden brown, then flip and repeat on other side. Transfer cooked beef to a plate and add remaining oil to the pan. Repeat the cooking process until all beef has been seared. Lower the heat if the bottom of the pot starts to significantly darken.
- Next over low heat, add tomato paste and stir to combine with any excess oil. Stirring constantly, fry tomato paste for 1-2 minutes, or until paste begins to separate and darken. Then sprinkle flour over tomato paste and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes, or until flour absorbs all of the oil and the tomato paste begins to dry out.
- Add red wine and beef broth and whisk to combine with tomato flour mixture. Increase heat to medium and bring to a light boil, then add cooked beef and all juices, followed by carrots, potatoes, pearl onions, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours, stirring about every 30 minutes, or until the beef and vegetables are fork tender.
- Remove from heat and ladle evenly in 6 bowls. Serve immediately.
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