When it’s cold outside, there’s nothing better than cooking up something warm inside. This is the perfect thing to cook when you are planning on being at home all day. Maybe you are just snuggling by the fire or maybe you are putting away all those Christmas decorations, either way, having a pot of stew on the stove is a delicious idea. Here is a great recipe for beef stew that you are going to want to save for the next arctic blast.
If you want to eat this stew for dinner, you’ll have to start early in the day. This takes about four to six hours to cook to perfection, so I start around noon and eat around 6. I am going to give my dad credit for this recipe because he is the one who taught me how to cook it, but I feel like this is a pretty standard stew recipe.
HOW TO MAKE BEEF STEW
STEP ONE: FLOUR YOUR MEAT
I use stew meat that is cut in chunks and if it’s frozen, I mostly thaw it out before I flour it. There are no exact measurements here, but I just put some flour in a bowl and mix in salt and pepper and toss in the meat.
STEP TWO: BROWN YOUR MEAT
Heat some oil in a large pot. I use olive oil, but you could use any oil. I just cover the bottom of the pan, heat it up and throw in my meat chunks. I brown the meat, but I don’t worry about cooking it all the way through.
STEP THREE: COVER WITH WATER AND STEW
Cover with water and add a few bay leaves. Once my meat is browned on all sides, I simply add enough water to cover the meat. Cover with a lid and simmer for about four hours. I just ask Alexa to set an alarm every thirty minutes and then stir and add water if necessary every thirty minutes. You want this to cook on low heat and simmer. This is the “stew” part of the recipe.
STEP FOUR: POTATOES
Add potatoes your potatoes. I use russet potatoes cut in chunks. These probably will take another 30-45 minutes to cook. If you like carrots in your stew, I’d add those a little sooner because they will take longer to cook.
STEP FIVE: CARAMELIZED ONIONS
Caramelize onions in a cast iron skillet. You could start this process when you add your potatoes. Basically you slice up some onion and cook them with a little oil in a cast iron skillet on low heat until they are caramelized.
STEP SIX: ADD ONIONS AND SIMMER
Add your onions and let simmer for about twenty minutes. Once your onions are how you like them, toss them in the pot and simmer just a little longer.
VARIATIONS
I am pretty much a meat and potatoes kind of gal, so this is exactly how I like it, but you could also add whatever you like. I mentioned carrots, but you could also ad canned tomatoes or tomato sauce.
SERVE WITH BREAD
Add bread. My family adds cornbread made from scratch, but it is also delicious with olive bread or Naan.
TOP IT OFF
Add salt or hot sauce. I usually add salt and Louisiana Hot Sauce to my bowl. It is just so delicious.
As long as you are going to cook all day, you might as well cook enough to have some leftovers. I love this leftover. Just add a little water when you heat it up and it’s perfect.
I don’t make this often, but I sure do love it when I do. It’s not hard and the effort is completely worth it.
While you are stewing, check out these other posts you might like.
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