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Beef Stew

© Melissa Ecton

Stewing meat together with liquid, spices and sometimes vegetables dates from at least medeival times. I think it is fair to say that it has probably been around since cooking began. Stewing slowly over low heat is one of the easiest ways to tenderize meat and give it great flavor. What follows is an extremely basic beef stew recipe very open to tweaking.

Beef Stew

2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

1-2 pounds stew meat or really any kind of beef, except ground

1 large onion, chopped

1-3 garlic cloves, minced (depending on size and your fondness for garlic)

flour

black pepper

2 bay leaves

1/2-3/4 cup red wine

1/2 cup of water

6 large potatoes peeled or unpeeled, washed and cut into small piece

1/2 pound peas

1-2 pounds carrots

Heat oil in a large pot. Saute onion for about a minute. Add beef,sprinkle with flour and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until beef is browned. Add wine, water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat, simmer on low for about 2-21/2 hours. Then add potatoes and let cook about 15 minutes. Add carrots, and cook 5 more minutes. Add peas and cook until vegetables are cooked and not mushy. You can add anything you like to this basic recipe - rosemary, sage, vingear, more vegetables, etc. Add small amounts and taste often Happy Cooking!