Basic Beef Stew - Cooking Light

Sometimes all one really wants is the most basic, most memorable comfort food possible!  After a long wedding weekend when a large time was had by all we scraped our way back to Nashville from North Carolina (no easy feat after celebrating for three straight days...and nights) only to return to a house that smelled like home cooked food!  Maggie's mom, Julie, whose cooking I will NEVER turn down, had put beef stew in the crock pot that smelled heavenly.  It smelled so good, in fact, that I simply invited myself over for dinner and enjoyed it myself.  The next day, which I had already taken off work as a much needed "recovery day", was going to be filled with cooking.  This time of year I like to make several pots of soup so that I can put them up in the freezer and pull them out whenever I am in the mood.  After tasting Julie's beef stew I knew I had to add that to my list of soups I would make.  I did a little research, combined several recipes but basically stuck with this one I found in Cooking Light, with the addition of a few spices and of course a beer!

Beef Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1 pound small cremini mushrooms

Cooking spray

2 cups chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)

2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1 cup dry red wine

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 (14-ounce) cans less-sodium beef broth

1 can beer

1 bay leaf

2 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled white potato (about 1 pound)

1 1/2 cups (1-inch) slices carrot (about 12 ounces)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 teaspoon rosemary leaves

Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

 

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. 

Add mushrooms, and sauté for 5 minutes or until mushrooms begin to brown. 

Spoon mushrooms into a large bowl. 

Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. 

Add onion; sauté 10 minutes or until tender and golden brown. 

 

Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add onion mixture to mushroom mixture.

Place flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. 

 

 Dredge beef in flour, shaking off excess. 

 

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add half of beef mixture; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. 

 

Add browned beef to mushroom mixture. 

Repeat procedure with remaining beef mixture and 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Add 1 cup wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. 

 

 

Add thyme, broth, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. 

 

Stir in beef mixture. 

 

Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 hour or until beef is just tender.

 

Stir in potato and carrot.  Add beer, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and rosemary.

  

 

 

 

Simmer, uncovered, 1 hour and 15 minutes or until beef and vegetables are very tender and sauce is thick, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.