While this is a slow cooker recipe, I do take the time to brown the meat and sweat the onions prior to putting in the cooker. It takes 10 minutes and the results are worth it. I promise.
I made this stew the other day on a day when we were going on an outdoor outing. Coming home to this delicious, hearty, hot stew was the perfect touch to a cold day. It warms you from the inside out, what is better than that on a snowy cold day?!
Some quick notes:
- Feel free to mix up veggies for whatever you like, parsnips are nice, peas, beans etc.
- A good crusty loaf of bread goes perfect with this, you'll want something to sop up all the yummy broth at the end
- I generally deglaze with some red wine, however I did not have any this day so I didn't include it in the recipe. You can go just broth or deglaze with 1/2 C red wine.
- You can add the potatoes at the beginning if you like. I don't like them to get too soft so I wait. Also you can chop the potatoes into larger chunks so they cook slower to avoid any mushy potatoes.
- Do not crowd the pan when browning the beef. If pan is too crowded beef with steam and not brown. Brown in batches.
- A slow cooker liner will save you a ton of clean up at the end. I highly recommend using one.
Ingredients:
1.5 lb stew meat, cut into bite size chunks
3 T flour
3 T olive oil
2 T butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T worstershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried thyme (or a fresh thyme bundle)
1 bay leaf
3 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced (if greens are attached, chop em and use em there's alot of flavor in them)
2 C beef broth or stock
1 can whole kernel corn
salt and pepper
Recipe:
- Place flour in ziploc bag (or use a bowl), season with salt and pepper. Place beef in bag and toss to coat with flour.
- Heat oil in skillet, add beef, being careful not to crowd the pan, do it in batches if necessary. When browned on both sides (about 6 minutes) add to slow cooker.
- In same skillet, add the butter, onions and garlic. Cook about 3 minutes until onion is soft. Deglaze pan with wine if using, or by adding all the beef broth. Add worstershire. Stir with a rubber spatula being careful to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan (there's alot of flavor in there). Cook about 5 minutes and then add to crock pot.
- Add carrots, celery, bay leaf and thyme to cooker. (Add potatoes if not able to do it an hour before)
- Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.
- 1 hour before serving add potatoes and can of corn.
- Remove bay leaf
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