The Village - Easy weeknight beef stew
RECIPE
Easy weeknight beef stew
By Anthea Dawson
There are very few things more comforting on a cold, blustery day than the smell of stew cooking in the oven. This is an easy recipe to throw together, similar to the classic Boeuf Bourguignon, and a good weeknight dinner because you can let it stew all afternoon and just pull it out before dinnertime - this also works really well in a slow cooker! The wonderful rich aromas will blow you away!
Ingredients
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours
Total: 3 1/2 hours
SERVES 4 to 6
- 6 oz (about 1 1/2 cups) pancetta, diced (optional)
- 3 lbs beef chuck or stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 medium-sized yellow onions, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 bottle of dry red wine
- 2 cans (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, drained to remove excess liquid and chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup mixed herbs (parsley, thyme, savoury), chopped
- 4 cups cremini mushrooms, cleaned and halved
- 8 oz pearl onions, peeled
- Chopped parsley (for garnish)
- Salt and pepper
- Cooked, buttered egg noodles for serving
Preparation
Remove the top rack and preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Season the beef with Kosher salt and pepper. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add diced pancetta (if using) and let it brown slowly until crispy being careful not to burn it, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind in the pot, and set aside.
Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the rendered fat in the pot and raise the heat to medium. In batches, brown the beef in a single layer, turning until all sides are browned. Remove beef from the pot when cubes are nicely browned and set aside.
Scrape the burned bits from the bottom of your pot and drain any remaining oil. Add 1 tablespoon of new olive oil and cook the chopped onions, celery and carrot over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, tomato paste and flour and cook for another minute. Slowly stir in the wine and chopped tomatoes, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan and bring the pot up to high heat. Once the mix has boiled, turn the heat down to low and add the bay leaf and chopped herbs. Return the cooked, browned beef back to the pot and half of the cooked pancetta. Remove from the heat and season well with salt and pepper.
Place the top on the Dutch oven and pop the stew into the oven. Let it cook for at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the beef is very tender.
In a separate frying pan, heat the last tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and pearl onions and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked mushrooms and onions to the stew once the beef is tender and stir to combine.
Serve the stew over the buttery egg noodles and garnish with the remaining pancetta and chopped parsley.
Enjoy!
RECIPE
Easy weeknight beef stew
By Anthea Dawson
There are very few things more comforting on a cold, blustery day than the smell of stew cooking in the oven. This is an easy recipe to throw together, similar to the classic Boeuf Bourguignon, and a good weeknight dinner because you can let it stew all afternoon and just pull it out before dinnertime - this also works really well in a slow cooker! The wonderful rich aromas will blow you away!
Ingredients
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours
Total: 3 1/2 hours
SERVES 4 to 6
- 6 oz (about 1 1/2 cups) pancetta, diced (optional)
- 3 lbs beef chuck or stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 medium-sized yellow onions, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 bottle of dry red wine
- 2 cans (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, drained to remove excess liquid and chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup mixed herbs (parsley, thyme, savoury), chopped
- 4 cups cremini mushrooms, cleaned and halved
- 8 oz pearl onions, peeled
- Chopped parsley (for garnish)
- Salt and pepper
- Cooked, buttered egg noodles for serving
Preparation
Remove the top rack and preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Season the beef with Kosher salt and pepper. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add diced pancetta (if using) and let it brown slowly until crispy being careful not to burn it, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind in the pot, and set aside.
Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the rendered fat in the pot and raise the heat to medium. In batches, brown the beef in a single layer, turning until all sides are browned. Remove beef from the pot when cubes are nicely browned and set aside.
Scrape the burned bits from the bottom of your pot and drain any remaining oil. Add 1 tablespoon of new olive oil and cook the chopped onions, celery and carrot over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, tomato paste and flour and cook for another minute. Slowly stir in the wine and chopped tomatoes, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan and bring the pot up to high heat. Once the mix has boiled, turn the heat down to low and add the bay leaf and chopped herbs. Return the cooked, browned beef back to the pot and half of the cooked pancetta. Remove from the heat and season well with salt and pepper.
Place the top on the Dutch oven and pop the stew into the oven. Let it cook for at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the beef is very tender.
In a separate frying pan, heat the last tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and pearl onions and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked mushrooms and onions to the stew once the beef is tender and stir to combine.
Serve the stew over the buttery egg noodles and garnish with the remaining pancetta and chopped parsley.