Easy Beef Stew Recipe

Beef stew is a classic cold-weather dish, hearty and warming as it is. What with the price of beef these days, though, not just any stew recipe will do. This one, as developer Ting Dalton tells us, "really packs a punch in terms of flavor" due to what she describes as "a wonderful combination of thyme, garlic, red wine and Worcestershire sauce ... with beef broth and vegetables."

Rather than simmering the stew on the stovetop, Dalton prefers to bake it in the oven for several hours. This results in meat that she says is "melt-in-your-mouth tender." She also notes that once you've got the initial prep work and the first steps of browning the meat and sauteing the vegetables out of the way "you can let the oven do most of the work," although she does note that you should stir the stew every now and then as it bakes.

To make this stew, Dalton uses stew beef, which is typically beef chuck that comes pre-cubed. You can, of course, cut up your own chunks of beef if you find a bargain on chuck steak that's still all in one piece. For vegetables, she favors shallots, celery, and carrots, with garlic, thyme, and bay leaves for seasoning. Other ingredients you'll need are flour, olive oil, red wine, beef broth, tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.

Set the oven to 300 F, then toss the beef chunks with the flour. Heat a tablespoon of oil in an ovenproof pan, then fry the beef until it is browned all over. Once browned, remove the beef from the pan and set it aside.

Pour in the rest of the oil into the pan and fry the shallots, carrots, celery, garlic, and thyme for about 10 to 15 minutes. At this point, the vegetables should have softened somewhat. Put the beef back in the pan along with the tomato puree and wine.

Once the wine has been absorbed, add the broth, bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce, and season the stew with salt and pepper.

Cover the pan with a lid, then put the stew in the oven and bake it for 3 hours or until the meat is tender. Remember to check on it and stir it now and then. It may get a bit dry as it cooks, but Dalton says, "If you feel the stew is losing too much moisture, you can add water to thin it out a bit." Once the stew is done cooking, do remember to remove those sharp bay leaves before digging in.

Dalton suggests serving the stew with mashed or roast potatoes and some type of green vegetable. She also notes that the leftovers should be good in the refrigerator for three days, but says the stew can be frozen, as well.