Thursday, October 15, 2009

Foodie Friday-Harvest Beef Stew



     I'm participating in my first Foodie Friday. Please visit Michael at Designs by Gollum to see all the delicious dishes.


     When the weather gets cold, I tend to want to create “homey” meals. Generally that means a lot of soups, chili and stews. We don’t eat a lot of red meat at our house, but my husband really loves beef. So, I decided to put together a fall meal that I could pop in the oven and have ready a few hours later. This actually could be done completely on top of the stove, and be done in a shorter period of time. I happen to like that slow cooked flavor and the smell of the spices in my house.





Ingredients:

2 pounds stew meat or chuck roast cut into chunks
2 T. olive oil
Season salt or grill seasoning
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup carrots sliced (I prefer regular carrots, baby carrots would work)
1 cup chopped onion (optional-I don’t cook with onions, but most people like them)
1 large potato cut into chunks
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
½ tsp. rosemary
½ tsp. basil
2 T. tomato paste (you can freeze the rest of the can in a container for later use)
2 ½-3 cups of beef broth (I always use low sodium)
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. sugar
2 T. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 cup frozen peas
2 T. cornstarch.


     Sprinkle the meat with a small amount of season salt or grill seasoning. In an oven safe pan (Dutch oven) on the stove, heat the oil and stir in the beef chunks. Stir until browned on all sides, remove from pan.

     To the pan juices add celery, carrots, onion, potato, sweet potato and stir. Cover and cook about 2 minutes, just to slightly soften the vegetables. Put the meat back in with the vegetables. Add garlic powder, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, tomato paste, beef broth, sugar, vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper and stir. Add bay leaves.

    Put in oven at 350 degrees for 2 hours. Remove from oven, meat and vegetables should be very tender. Put pan back on stove burner and turn to medium high heat. Mix cornstarch with a 2 T. water and stir into stew. When the stew is thickened, add frozen peas and stir. It only takes about a minute for the peas to cook. If the stew is too thick, you can thin it with a little beef broth or water. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves before serving.





I served ours with crusty bread and a fruit salad. The house smelled wonderful. Enjoy.

20 comments:

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

That sounds wonderful. It is cold and rainy here and harvest beef stew sounds just about right for this weather. I am going to have to make it next week!
Yvonne

Natasha in Oz said...

This looks so hearty and delicious. It looks so nice I am kind of wishing that it was Autumn here in Australia....Best wishes, NM.

Unknown said...

Sweet potatoes in the stew! Fantastic... I'm going to try that next time I make stew... I also add a can of Guinness to mine...Have a wonderful week end!
~Really Rainey~

Allison Shops said...

My DH loves beef stew. Great recipe for the cold weather coming our way. Thanks for sharing.

Gretchen said...

It's going to be cold and rainy here in Seattle today, so that beef stew sounds perfect for a nice warm dinner. Thanks for sharing! Happy Friday! ~Gretchen

Sue said...

Yvonne-it is cold and rainy here today too...again!

NM-don't wish for an autumn like ours, it isn't pretty this year!

Rainey-adding a can of Guinness would be delicious.

Allison-I think all men love beef stew. It makes them feel manly!

bj said...

Yep...Beef Stew NEARLY makes ME feel manly!! :)
The stew, southern cornbread and a big, ole red onion is such a comfort meal for hubby and I.

Mary Bergfeld said...

Perfect timing. Our nights are getting cooler and the scent of autumn is in the air. This would be a great night for stew. Have a terrific day.

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

That's my family's kind of dish!

:)
ButterYum

Unknown said...

I love all the spices in this recipe. THANKS!!! for the YUMMY!!! recipe.
I have become a follower of your blog, come by and visit my blog and maybe do the same. I love to share recipes.
Geri

Maria said...

Oh my...that looks just like my mom used to make!
Such comfort food... What great photo's you took of the preparation!
A wonderful weekend to you! It's getting colder where I live... better think about makin' stew!

Sue said...

Hi everyone! Thanks for all the kind words and great comments. I will be around to return the favor soon!

koralee said...

A great meal indeed...this type of meal feeds the soul! Happy weekend to you!

Happy To Be/ Gl♥ria said...

Sue you always have the best comfort food on your blog girl...I just made a pot of crock pot stew the other day with 3 cheese bread YUM!! we ate off of it for 2 days...why is it stew and soups always taste so much better the next day ha ha!! Thanks for coming by my friend...I just love to see the name SUE come up ha ha!! Oh I know I'm a smart ass...Hope you have a great weekend my new friend...Hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Hi Sue...

Mmmm...yummy!!! This recipe for Harvest Beef Stew sounds scrumptious...thank you for sharing your recipe! Mine is very similar but a few different ingredients! It sure is the perfect weather at my place for a warm dish of stew!!!

I also looked through your Halloween tablescape! My friend, that is absolutely darling!!! I love, love, LOVE the candy corn placemats that you made...so pretty! And...your centerpiece is just too darn cute! Great job!!!

Just wanted to thank you for coming by today and taking a peek at my autumn living room! Your note was so sweet and encouraging...thank you so much!!!

Warmest wishes,
Chari @Happy To Design

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

Sue, being new to blogland, I didn't know where or how to properly answer your comment on my Pink Saturday blog...
Thank you for your kind and kindred comments. Mothers of precious little girls who grow up know eachothers hearts.
We are so blessed!
Yvonne

Sue said...

Yvonne-thanks for coming back.

Jen said...

I would have never put sweet potatoes in stew, but this looks divine! Must.Try.Soon! Thank you, thank you!

Glennis said...

Lovely! Must be delicious. I recently found chuck roast on sale at the supermarket, and for about $3 I got a piece about 2.8 pounds.

My foolproof recipe is - if I may say - even easier, involving marinating the beef chunks overnight and then cooking in the marinade in the oven for 2 hours.

The marinade is a combination of crushed tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, spices and garlic.

Serve with noodles or rice - perfect.

Sue said...

g-That sounds delicious, and the flavor would be entirely different. Yum, I'll try that.