Cozy, Hearty Beef Stew
This is going to get a little emotional, so bear with me (or just scroll past this to the recipe)
This beef stew has always been one of my favorite recipes. It requires little to no actual skill to make (besides chopping things), it’s simple, it’s hearty and filling but not heavy, and I have lovely memories attached to it. I made this stew for my great-aunt the last time I saw her before she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, a couple of years ago. She passed away after a year-long battle just a few weeks ago, and so I decided to add this to the blog while I’ve been thinking of her. I never knew my grandmother and so my great-aunt was always one of the great maternal figures in my life and losing her was a blow I’m hard pressed to describe with words. I’ll write about her some more in The Void, I think, but for now, suffice it to say that when I made her this stew two years ago and heavily, alarmingly, over-salted it, she still ate every bit of it without complaint. I miss you poolie <3
This makes generous servings for four, and takes about 2 1/2 hours to make (1 hour inactive).
Ingredients
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound chuck roast beef
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 yellow onion
6 large carrots
1 pound baby gold potatoes
4 cups beef broth
2 cups water
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 small bunch fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Cut your chuck roast into 1 inch chunks and sprinkle them with the black pepper and 1 teaspoon salt, then dredge them in the flour.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and arrange the beef inside. Don’t crowd the pot, you want them to sear, not sweat. If you have to do it in two batches, that’s fine.
Slice up your yellow onion and add it to the pot with the beef once you’ve seared the beef on all sides. Add in the tomato paste as well. Toss them together and lower the heat to medium, stirring occasionally until the onions are softened
While the onions cook, wash and quarter your potatoes, and peel your carrots, then slice them into 1/4” rounds and set aside.
Once the onions are slightly softened, add the beef broth, water, and the other teaspoon of salt. Cover the pot and raise the heat to high to bring it to a boil.
Once the pot comes to a full boil, add your carrots and potatoes, and the bunch of thyme. Cover and let it come to a boil again.
Once the pot comes to a boil again, turn the heat down and let it simmer on low for about an hour, or until the potatoes and carrots are very tender.
Taste for seasoning and serve. This soup is as good eaten immediately as it is for leftovers, but it never seems to make it that long. Best eaten with fresh bread on a cold day.