Finger Licking Beef Stew

Cold days are upon us and nothing beats this finger licking good beef stew for dinner on days like these. It’s what we call comfort food heaven. My family loves this and they ask for me to make this every so often during the winter months. It’s so easy to make. Put it together and pop it in the oven and it practically cooks itself.

The Ingredients for Beef Stew

Some beef, some fresh vegetables, some herbs, and some love is what it takes to get this recipe in your bowl.

The Ingredients List:

• 2 lbs beef chunks
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 4 tablespoons bacon fat (or vege oil) – divided
• 1 large leek
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon rosemary (fresh or dehydrated)
• 1 tablespoon paprika1/2 teaspoon allspice 
• 1/3 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 3 cups hot water
• 2 baking potatoes 
• 2 large carrots 
• 1 cup green peas 
• Salt and pepper to taste

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Preparing the Beef Stew Recipe

The first step to getting a delicious stew is to prepare the beef properly. To do this:

• Cut the meat into 1 inch cubes. I buy mine precut so it’s easier.
• Heat bacon fat, or oil in a large pot that has a lid. I use my Dutch oven.
• While the fat is heating up, sprinkle the flour all over the beef and toss it about so the beef chunks get coated.
• Once the oil is heated to the point of smoking, add the beef to the pot and toss it about for about 2-3 minutes. This is just so that the beef gets browned quickly.

The Stalk for the Beef Recipe

Once most of the beef has been browned, we can remove it from the pot and set it aside. DO NOT clean the pot. There is a lot of flavour in it and we need to use all those flavours for our recipe.

• Thinly slice the leeks into 1/2 cm rounds.
• Peel and finely chop the garlic.
• Add both of them to the same pot and toss for about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste to the pan and toss so that the paste gets evenly distributed into the leeks. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Flavouring the Comfort Food Recipe

Now that the base is ready, we can add:

• The bay leaves
• The Rosemary
• The paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Add the beef and all the juices that are collected in the bowl back into the pot.

Toss all this into the pot and mix and cook for a further 1 minute or so. Now we can add water. Some people use beef stock or beef broth, but I prefer just plain water. There is already enough flavour added to the base that I don’t find it necessary to use anything but water.

Cooking the Stew

Now that we are ready, we can put the pot in the oven and forget about it for a while.

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Cover the pot and place it on the middle rack.
• Leave it in the oven for about an hour.

The Vegetables

While the pot is in the oven, we can prepare the vegetables. I use potatoes and carrots and tend not to peel them either. I find it unnecessary to do that, but you can peel them if you prefer.

Defrost the peas as well and set them aside until we are ready to use them.

After the hour is up, remove the pot from the oven and add the vegetable to it. Mix the vegetables well into the pot and cover it back up. Return it to the oven to continue cooking for another 1 and 1/2 hours. Try and mix the contents of the pot every half hour or so to ensure even cooking.

Remove the pot from the oven and add the now defrosted peas. Mix them in well and cover the pot and leave it on the stove for a few minutes. The heat in the pot will cook the peas to perfection.

Serving Suggestions

I love to serve this hot and with:

• A buttered slice of my Crusty Italian Bread.
• Sometimes I enjoy it with a side of plain brown rice. It adds to the heartiness of the meal.

Tried and Liked the Recipe?

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