Description
Rich, hearty beef stew brings comfort from classic French countryside kitchens with tender meat simmered in robust red wine sauce. Slow-cooked vegetables and melt-in-your-mouth beef create a soul-warming meal that welcomes you home with deep, complex flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat:
- 2 pounds (lbs) beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch chunks, excess fat removed
Main Vegetables:
- 1 large carrot (or 2 small-medium), cut into 2-inch chunks
- 2 Yukon gold potatoes, diced into 2-inch pieces
- 0.5 yellow onion, chopped large
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
Seasonings and Liquids:
- 1 teaspoon (tsp) kosher salt
- 0.5 teaspoon (tsp) coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (tbsp) gluten-free all-purpose flour (or whole wheat for non-gluten)
- 2 tablespoons (tbsp) olive oil
- 2 cups beef broth
- 0.25 cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon (tbsp) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons (tsp) fresh thyme leaves, to garnish
Instructions
- Meticulously coat beef chunks with seasoned flour, ensuring complete coverage for a rich, textured exterior that will enhance flavor development.
- Gradually sear meat in a spacious Dutch oven, creating deep golden-brown crusts that seal in succulent juices and develop complex caramelized undertones.
- Sauté aromatic vegetables until edges transform into a delicate amber hue, releasing their inherent sweet and savory essences into the cooking vessel.
- Incorporate robust liquids and herbaceous seasonings, vigorously scraping accumulated flavor foundations from the pot’s bottom to capture every nuanced taste element.
- Gently combine all ingredients, allowing the meat to nestle comfortably among vegetables and fragrant broth, creating a harmonious culinary composition.
- Transfer the carefully constructed stew into a moderate temperature oven, enabling low and slow transformation that will tenderize meat fibers and meld intricate flavor profiles.
- After substantial braising, carefully extract the bay leaf, which has imparted its subtle botanical notes throughout the cooking process.
- Perform a final seasoning assessment, adjusting salt and pepper to elevate the stew’s depth and complexity before presenting this rustic, comforting dish.
Notes
- Slow-cooking transforms tough beef chunks into melt-in-your-mouth tender bites through patient braising in the oven.
- Layering flavors starts with browning meat, creating a rich caramelized foundation that deepens the stew’s overall taste profile.
- Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste add unexpected depth, bringing complexity and umami to this classic comfort dish.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg