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Beef stew is one of the best comfort food during the cold sweater weather months. This steamy and heart-warming recipe for beef stew is flavorful and bursting with awesome kick of different spices!
What is a stew?
According to Britannica.com, stew is a meat dish simmered slowly in low heat until softened and soaked with flavor as it tenderizes added with root vegetables and thickened with flour.
How to Make the Best Recipe for Beef Stew?
This recipe for beef stew is not only tasty but nourishing; it has all your body needs to feel energized and satisfied.
Don't get intimidated by the number of ingredients, this dish is actually very easy to do!
The main ingredient for beef stew is, of course, beef. The best meat comes from the beef’s front shoulder, also known as the chuck, but the rear round is fantastic too. These cuts of meat are tough, but trust me, after a few hours simmering in a flavorful broth, they become fork-tender and juicy.
We’ll add the classic vegetables: onions, celery, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and garlic. They all come together with a few tablespoons of tomato paste. And there’s more, a splash of full-bodied red wine (this is my secret) really elevates the dish to new pleasurable heights.
Your herbs and spices are the difference between a tasty beef stew recipe and a fantastic meal. Bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, Italian parsley and marjoram add a wide range of fresh, aromatic herbs to the stew, really enhancing both the broth and the meat’s flavor. This is restaurant quality right here without losing the classic home-cooked flavors of a good stew.
I also like to add a teaspoon of paprika. It might not look like much, but it gives color and a nice mild spiciness to the beef stew. I’ve tried making mine with and without paprika, and I can say you don’t want to skip it.
Finally, you might want to use broth and season your stew to your taste. Adjust with salt and freshly cracked black peppercorns to taste. I add a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce to amp-up the flavors a bit, another little secret you can use!
What To Serve With Beef Stew?
Beef stew is a whole one-pot meal, so you need not serve much more with it. Having said that, it’s always nice to have a fresh loaf of artisan bread at the table. Nothing too fancy, just freshly made, fluffy bread. Try this no-knead bread.
Since we add a dash of wine to the stew, you might have some leftovers that will pair nicely with the food, so pour your guests some wine! It will immediately upgrade your dinner, turning it into a fancy, memorable reunion with your perfect beef stew as the star of the show.
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The Best Beef Stew
A very good hot stew for the cold fall and winter months. Flavorful beef in every spoonfuls with bursting tastes of different spices!
Beef Stew Spices (these can be substituted with 2 tablespoons Herbs de Provence)
1teaspoonsalt
1/2teaspoonground pepper
1teaspoonpaprika
1teaspoondried thyme
1teaspoonmarjoram
1teaspoondried rosemary
Stew Ingredients
1tablespoonoil
2poundsbeef stew slices
1mediumoniondiced
2clovesgarlicminced
2stalkscelerychopped
4ouncesmushroom slices
3tablespoonstomato paste
1cupred wine
2cubsbeef broth
1tablespoonsworcestershire sauce
1bay leaf
4mediumpotatoesquartered
1cupbaby carrotschopped
1/4cupwater
2tablespoonscornstarchslurry
fresh parsley leavesfor sprinkling
Instructions
Combine beef stew spices in a bowl. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pot on medium heat. Lightly fry the beef, do not overcrowd, work on batches if necessary. Also sprinkle it with a little bit of the beef stew spices. Once done, remove from the pot and set aside.
Saute onion, celery, mushrooms and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add tomato paste and stir. Add the red wine, broth, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and the remaining beef stew spices. Bring it to a boil. Add the beef and simmer over low heat for 1 hour or more.
Add the potatoes and carrots and cook until soft. Make the slurry by combining 1/4 cup water and the cornstarch. Add to the stew until thickened. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.
Cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks and add to the already cooking stew about 30 minutes before you stop cooking and plate the stew for serving (If the potatoes cook too long, they'll just get mushy or even fall apart and add nothing but a thickening starch to the sew.
The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.
Your onions will be fine, but mushy potatoes and carrots are a no-no. Instead, add them about 20 minutes before the end of cooking. When they're tender, the stew is done.
If were talking while it's being made; garlic, onion, various herbs, “horse chester sauce” tomato paste, stone ground mustard, or even a small splash of A1 sauce will all “rich up” the broth. So will sauteing the veggies in butter before adding to the stew.
Typically potatoes take longer to cook than carrots. To make sure the vegetables are finished at the same time, cut the potatoes smaller to speed their roasting along.
Once you've allowed everything to simmer for the allotted time, you'll add the carrots (allowing them to cook for 10 minutes) and then the potatoes. The idea is to cook the carrots and potatoes at the end of the simmering process, so they don't become mushy.
It's best to use fresh, firm potatoes. Acidic Ingredients: If your soup contained highly acidic ingredients (e.g., tomatoes), it could have affected the texture of the potatoes. Acidic ingredients can slow down the softening process of potatoes.
The choice becomes easier when you realize that simple baking soda can be an ideal meat tenderizer that helps to bring out all the aromas and flavors in every sizzling beef stew or charburger.
"By combining tomato paste, red wine, and Worcestershire sauce in this beef stew recipe, you're capturing as many flavor components as possible and ensuring a delicious meal," she says.
Chuck. Chuck is one of the leaner types of beef, making it perfect for stews because it melts into delicious pieces as it cooks. A chuck roast has a large amount of connective tissue, which allows it to retain its moisture during the cooking process.
Once the meat is tender - but not falling apart, add the potatoes, celery, carrots and butternut squash. Pour over another 2 cups of beef broth and enough water to cover the vegetables. Raise heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer partially covered for about 30 minutes - until the vegetables are tender.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. Cover and cook, skimming broth from time to time, until the beef is tender, about 1½ hours. Add the onions and carrots and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more.
Beef tastes great when seasoned with oregano, rosemary, sage, garlic or a combination of these seasonings. Poultry gets an added burst of flavor with spices like paprika, lemongrass and saffron. Fish can be made more flavorful with dry mustard powder, thyme and turmeric.
The most common beef used for stew is chuck steak, also known as gravy beef or braising steak. Beef chuck comes from the forequarter of the animal consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade and upper arm. It is easy to find and it's affordable, making it a great choice for your stew.
This resulting gelatin will give your stew a creamier consistency. Not only that, but any liquid that remains in slow-cooked dishes is likely to be soaked up by any starchy ingredients, creating more nuanced, developed flavors.
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