The first time I made stew, I used those McCormick spice packets. I loved it and was convinced better beef stew did not exist.
Turns out better beef stew does exist. It does use a lot more ingredients, but it’s typically stuff you already have on hand.
One of the biggest challenges of starting a food blog for me was figuring out spice measurements. I tend to just look at the quantity of meat/soup I’m working with and dump what feels right. I always found measuring out every spice cumbersome. In recipes I would just take note of the ratios of spices in comparison to one another and sprinkle it in.
But I know exact measurements are comforting to people =) Here is one of my favorite winter comfort foods. It’s technically spring but it just snowed 3 inches. This beef stew is guaranteed to help you cope with the cold.
Beef Stew
Ingredients
Beef Seasoning
- 2 tbs onion powder
- 2 tbs black pepper
- 2 tbs paprika
- 1 tbs dried basil
- 1 tbs dried parsley
- 1 tbs salt
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Stew
- 3 lbs stew meat
- 2 tbs vegetable oil
- 6 tbs butter, divided
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 2 quarts (8 cups) beef broth
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 sprigs fresh parsley
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 4 ribs celery, cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces
- 3 russet potatoes, cut into 1 inch thick pieces
- 4 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the beef seasoning except for the flour. Coat stew meat in seasoning. It’s ok if there’s some seasoning leftover. Put flour in shallow plate and lightly coat seasoned beef in flour.
- In a cast iron or frying pan on medium heat, heat 2 tbs vegetable oil. Sear the beef pieces until golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Sear in batches, do not crowd the pan. Set aside.
- In large stock pot, heat 3 tbs butter on medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until they develop some color. Add a pinch or two of kosher salt halfway through cooking. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more. Add the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pot immediately to pick up any browned bits.
- Add the beef broth, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, and seared stew meat. Add 1 tsp of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Then lower to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
- About 30 minutes before the first round of stew cooking is done, chop the celery, carrots, and potatoes.
- Optional: With the remaining 3 tbs of butter, saute carrots and celery for 5 minutes. Sprinkle 1 tsp kosher salt halfway through cooking. This brings out their flavor. Set aside.
- When 1 1/2 hours of stew cooking is up, add the potatoes, carrots, and onions. Continue to simmer for 30 minutes. After 2 minutes, taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve with your favorite crusty bread.