Winter Beef Stew

Today is one of those cold, rainy days when you feel like you’ll never see the sun or be warm again. Winter is always a struggle for me. I am summer’s child, make no mistake. This time of year I just hunker down, plan lots of indoor activities and wait for spring. For now that means making a pot of beef stew and a batch of cheddar biscuits. Nothing brings more comfort on a cold, nasty day than a steaming bowl of stew and any type of bread smothered in butter. Mom always made yeast rolls to go with stew; I usually prefer crusty bread like a baguette. Today I have a choice between running out in the cold rain for a loaf or making biscuits so I’ll make biscuits! The added bonus to that strategy is turning the oven on to a beautiful, heartwarming 450 degrees. I might just climb in there and take a nap while the stew simmers….
This is a basic, easy to throw together stew recipe. There are endless variations and substitutions that can be made based on personal preference or what you have available in the house. It is easily reinvented a few days later as a vegetable soup or a shepherd’s pie. Don’t fuss over a missing ingredient here or there – as long as you have beef, onions, potatoes and au jus mix you too can have stew for supper.
Basic Beef Stew (serves 8-10)
2 TBSP cooking oil
2 lbs stew beef or cut up chuck
1 large onion diced
1 large carrot chopped (optional)
1 celery stalk chopped (may substitute ½ tsp celery seed)
3-4 cloves garlic crushed (may substitute ½ tsp garlic powder)
½ cup red wine
15 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained (may substitute 8 oz. tomato sauce)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 package Au Jus mix with 2 cups water ( may substitute with 2 cups beef broth)
½ tsp salt
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
¼ tsp black pepper

In a five quart sauce pan or Dutch oven heat oil over medium heat. Place onion, carrot and celery in oil and sauté for 5-7 minutes until they start to brown. Remove from pan with slotted spoon. Increase heat to medium high and add ½ of the cubed beef. Sear on all sides, remove from pan and repeat with remaining beef.
Once the second batch of beef has seared well add red wine to pan and stir briskly to loosen any of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce to low heat. Return the first ½ of the beef to the pan along with the sautéed vegetables. Add the tomatoes, garlic, thyme salt, pepper and au jus or broth. Cover and allow to simmer for 2 ½ – 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes and cook another 30-45 minutes until potatoes are tender. Add additional salt as needed for taste to serve.
*If you prefer a thicker stew toss the potatoes in 2 TBSP all purpose flour prior to adding them to the pot.
* if you want to add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables to stretch the meal further or make a hearty Beef vegetable soup you can add them with the potatoes