Beef and Vegetable Stew
As soon as the weather drops, all I want are cozy, comforting, and deliciously rib-warming meals. Sure, this time of year qualifies as “streaming season” and “sweater weather”, but, for me, it is all about how many stews I can devour before the sun comes back out. Fortunately for me, I have a husband who enjoys these types of meals just as much as I do. Safe to say, from November – March we are a big “date night in” household. One of the first meals I ever made while experimenting in the kitchen in the extremely early days of Freckled Foodie was a beef stew. Growing up, a slow-cooker brisket with potatoes and carrots was a meal we had on a weekly rotation. After watching my mom so many times simply hit a button, walk away, and come home to a glorious and delicious dinner, I felt confident that I was able to also complete this task. Bless the heck up for slow cookers and pressure cookers. Seriously, these things do all the work for you. It is official, technology is taking over the kitchen.
After serving my first real stand-out home cooked meal to Joe over four years ago, the itch for what eventually became Freckled Foodie begun. This meal became a winter staple in our household and the ideal Sunday night supper. Whether it just be us two with a bottle of wine or a group of friends over for the Eagles game, it is always an enjoyable meal. To show you all how simple this meal is to cook, I put together an IGTV cooking tutorial that walks you through every step from start to finish (including some side conversation of beef stew vs Dutch oven and the meaning those terms seem to have between Joe and I…)
First step is chopping the vegetables into large chunks, which will eventually serve as the base of your dish. I personally included some of my favorite fall vegetables (mushrooms, fennel, sweet potatoes, and carrots), but you can add or replace anything your heart desires. Once the vegetables are ready, you will sear the beef so that it has a nice crust on the fatty side. Mix the vegetables in the base of the pot with the red wine and chicken broth, place the beef on top, close the appliance, and press the button. See!? It is really that damn simple. I am continuously blown away with my appliances ability to outshine my talents in the kitchen.
Once everything is done cooking, depending on the beef you used you can either shred it using two forks or slice using a carving knife. Place the vegetables, which are now soft and perfectly cooked, at the base of your bowl with some of the leftover juices and top with the prepared beef. If you’re really looking for that extra hearty feeling, grab some fresh crusty bread to dip into this dish and smear along the edges; I promise you won’t regret it!
Beef Stew
ingredients:
- Beef Coulotte or chuck (1 ½ lbs)
- Carrots (6)
- Fennel (2)
- Sweet potato (1)
- Mushrooms (2 cups)
- Avocado oil (1 tablespoon)
- Chicken broth (1 cup)
- Red wine (1 cup)
- Rosemary (2 fresh sprigs)
- Thyme (2 fresh sprigs)
- Salt
- Pepper
instructions:
How to cook Beef Stew
- Allow the beef to reach room temperature and season generously with salt and pepper
- Cut the fennel, sweet, potato, and carrots into 1-1 ½ inch wide chunks and half the mushrooms and set aside
- If using an instant pot, place it on sauté method and allow to get hot. If using a Dutch oven, bring to high heat
- Add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and add the beef fat side down, allowing it to sear
- Leave it on that side for about 7 minutes, and then flip to sear the other side for an additional 5 minutes
- Remove the beef and set aside
- In that same pot, add in the chopped vegetables, 1 cup of chicken broth, and 1 cup of red wine and stir to combine
- Season the mixture with 1 sprig of fresh rosemary and thyme, chopped, and salt & pepper
- Place the beef on top of the vegetables and, if using an instant pot, close the lid and cook on “beef stew” for 20 minutes
- Once finished, slice the beef and serve on top of the now softened vegetables and red wine juice
- Gluten Free
- Dairy Free
- Soy Free
- Paleo
- Whole30