Homemade Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 lbs. London Broil or Chuck Pot Roast

2 cups all purpose flour

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 bay Leaf

1 Medium onion chopped

2 stalks celery chopped

4 carrots cut into 1/2 pieces

4 cloves garlic minced

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons all pupose flour

3-4 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

2 medium russet potatoes diced into 1/2 inch pieces

8 oz. white button or cremini mushrooms rinsed and sliced

1 cup of frozen Green Peas

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Homemade Beef Stew

Beef Stew and
Beef Stew

Directions

Heat olive oil in a cast iron Dutch oven set to medium high heat. While the oil is heating, rinse beef under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut beef into 1 inch bitesize pieces, trimming off any excess fat and gristle. After you have finished cutting up the beef, place it in either a paper bag (or sometimes I use a used plastic grocery bag) with the 2 cups of flour. Twist the bag closed and shake to coat all of the pieces of meat.

After the meat is all coated with flour and the oil is shimmering, begin to gently place the meat into the Dutch oven to brown. Make certain not to over crowd the pot. You will probably need to brown the meat in several batches. Remove the browned meat with a pair of tongs from the Dutch oven and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium and add the bay leaf, chopped onion, celery and carrots to the Dutch oven and saute, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pot, until the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the salt and pepper and stir well. Add the minced garlic and saute about 2 minutes longer.

Add flour to the pot and stir, mixing with the oil and vegetables for about 2 minutes. You want to cook the flour a bit to get rid of any raw flour taste. Now slowly add the beef broth a cup at a time, stirring until the flour is dissolved and the mixture coats the back of a spoon. You want a thick, soup-like consistency. Add the worcestershire and tomato paste. Stir and turn the heat down to medium low.

Now begin adding your garlic powder and herbs stirring after each. Add the potatoes and place the lid on your Dutch oven and slowly simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes depending on your heat setting. Check about every 20 minutes to make sure the pot isn't boiling too hard and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot. After the potatoes and carrots are softened and the stew is smellling yummy, add the sliced mushrooms, green peas and cover again for about 15 minutes.

At this point the stew is done and can be served right away or held at a low heat setting until you are ready to eat. Before serving, stir in the chopped parsley to add a fresh taste to this savory dish.