Beef Stew

I have seen several variations of stew recipes recently and they've all sounded so good that I decided I would give it a try tonight. Mike and I both had off from work today so we had some time to play around with the taste. I think the key is to let everything cook long enough so that all the flavors mingle together.

Beef Stew

2-3 lbs. beef roast, cubed 

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

4 Tbs. flour

1/2 cup dry red wine (I used a Shiraz)

1 cup beef broth

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. thyme

1 Tbs. worchestershire sauce

4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 bag of baby carrots (about 1-2 cups)

1 cup frozen peas

s&p to taste

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in large saucepot. Brown half of the beef, one side at a time, and then transfer to a separate bowl. Repeat with the other half of the beef. Reduce heat to medium, add onions and 1/4 tsp. salt, cooking until tender (~5 minutes). Add garlic and cook another minute. Stir in flour until dissolved. Add wine and stir until mixture has become thickened. Stir in beef broth, and chicken broth, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all browned bits from the beef. Add bay leaves and thyme and simmer for 5 minutes. Add beef, continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Transfer to crock pot and cook for 1 hour. 

Add potatoes and carrots after first hour and let cook for another hour. Add peas for last 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve hot.

I served this with biscuits, but would definitely be good with any kind of bread.