Beef Stew Recipe from Scratch

This recipe is a combination of other beef stew recipes that I have tried in the past, and I recently experimented and came up with this recipe. I combined the best parts of multiple recipes that I have tried in the past and here is my result. I was pleasantly surprised with how good it turned out, and hopefully it will come out just as well for all of you.

This recipe will most likely require the cook to go to a reputable meat market in order to purchase high quality ingredients that may or may not be in the standard grocery store.

In my opinion, all great soups and stews start with a good stock, so it is best to make your own from home to ensure a good quality. You do not have to use my recipe for the stock, and you can easily find a different recipe online or in most generic cookbooks.

Beef Stock

(Should yield at least 8 cups)

INGREDIENTS:

6 pounds beef soup bones

2 pounds cubed beef stew meat

2 medium onions

2 large carrots

2 celery stalks

1 large tomato

10 black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp vegetable oil (or light olive oil)

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 chopped cloves of garlic

12 cups of water

DIRECTIONS: (Be sure to read all directions before beginning for the sake of preparation and timing.)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2. In a large shallow roasting pan, place the stew bones and put them in the oven to bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until the bones have a nice roasted look to them. Check them every so often and turn them as well. Just as the bones are about browned put the beef cubes in the tray as well, and continue baking. Continue to bake until the bones have turned golden brown and the beef cubes are completely browned as well. Keep an eye on the bones and the meat to ensure they are not burned; any burned pieces will cause the stock to take on a bitter flavor. Remove any burned bits if you run across them.

3. While the bones and meat are baking in the oven, chop the onions coarsely, cut up the tomato into thick chunks as well, and halve the celery stalks down the middle and cut them into 1 inch pieces and do the same for the carrots. Make sure to keep each vegetable separate for the next step.

4. Place a large stockpot on the stove and turn the burner to high. Once the pot has some heat to it you will add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (you can use light olive oil if you prefer). Allow the vegetable oil to heat up.

5. Add the onions to the stockpot and constantly stir them.

6. Add the carrots shortly after the first sign of the onions softening, and again continually stir.

7. Once the carrots are showing signs of caramelizing you will add the tomato chunks, and switch to stirring every couple of minutes. Keep an eye on the vegetable mixture to darken.

8. When the vegetables are caramelized enough to be fairly dark you will add the celery.

9. By this step the bones should be golden brown and cubes should be completely browned. If they are not entirely done you should turn the stockpot heat to low until the meat is cooked. Otherwise if they are completely ready, add the bones and cubes to the vegetables and cover them with water.

10. Now add the bay leaf, salt, dried thyme, peppercorns, and garlic.

11. Turn the heat on the stockpot to high if you turned it down earlier, and place the roasting pan from the oven on top of the stove. Pour a little bit of water into the roasting pan and turn a burner under the pan to medium. Scrape the bottom of the pan and swish the water around to try and get all of the little stuck bits from the bottom of the pan loose. Then pour the liquid and bits into the stockpot with the bones/meat/vegetables.

12. You do not want the stock to boil, so once it comes to a high heat or shows signs of boiling you will turn the heat to low and let it simmer.

13. Skim the fat and impurities from the meat and bones off the top with a ladle. Repeat this step over and over again.

14. After eight hours of skimming the fat and impurities off the top and simmering. Strain the stock through a standard strainer first into a larger pot, and then strain the stock from the larger pan through some cheesecloth (I have used a coffee filter before, and in a really tight situation I have used a paper towel).

15. Now there you have it, you're done! I have heard that the remnants of the pot can be ground to make a pretty good meat loaf (minus the bones of course), but otherwise they have all been sapped of flavor so are really not much use except as filler.

Beef Stew

(This recipe is meant to be served over mashed potatoes, but you can add sliced potatoes to this recipe and serve as is from a bowl.)

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 pounds of well marbled "chuck" shoulder beef roast (depends how meaty you want it), cubed

½ pound of peas

1 pound white mushrooms, sliced

4 large garlic cloves, minced

2 cups of peeled carrots, halved and cut into ½-inch pieces

2 cups pearl onions

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 tbsp of butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (for serving)

1 cup of red wine (Burgundy preferred)

6 cups of beef stock

Salt and Pepper

If you choose to serve over mashed potatoes:

1 ½ pounds of Yukon Gold Potatoes peeled and quartered

¼ cup heavy cream

1 tbsp milk

2 tbsp butter

1 teaspoon salt

Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Season the beef cubes with some salt and pepper, then coat them in flour. Be sure to shake off the extra flour that may cling to the cubes.

2. Place a large sauce pan, Dutch oven, or large pot over medium-high heat (For instructional purposes I will be using the pot, but you can use any one of the three), and add the oil and butter.

3. Add the beef cubes to the pot, and brown all of the cubes on all sides. Be sure not over crowd the pot since this will mess up the other pieces from evenly cooking. Once they are all browned take some tongs and remove the cubes to a plate to set aside while we continue cooking.

4. Add the red wine to the pot and let it come to a simmer. Take a spoon (preferably wooden) and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any bits that got stuck to the bottom while the cubes were cooking.

5. Now that the wine mixture is hot, add the minced garlic to sauté for a few minutes.

6. Now add the browned beef cubes, beef stock, dried thyme, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper for taste, and bring to a boil.

7. Once the liquid begins to boil, drop the heat to simmer for about 20 minutes.

8. Now cover the pot and drop to low heat for 2 hours.

9. After 2 hours add the mushrooms, carrots, pearl onions, and sugar. Bring the heat up to a simmer uncovered and allow the mixture to cook for another 30 minutes or until the meat and vegetables are tender. Add the peas during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

10. Add more salt and pepper as needed, and remove the bay leaves.

11. That's all there is for the stew! I hope you enjoy it!

Mashed Potatoes

1. In a large pot place all of the potatoes. Add water until the potatoes are covered and add the teaspoon of salt.

2. Place the pot over the stove on high and bring to a boil. After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot for 15-20 minutes. The potatoes are done when you can easily poke a knife through them and the potato slips off or barely holds to the knife.

3. In the microwave, warm the cream and butter together and mix the two with a small fork.

4. Place all of the hot potatoes into a large mixing bowl, and add the cream and butter to the bowl.

5. Use a hand mixer, potato masher, or a large fork to mash the potatoes well.

6. If you used a hand mixer skip to step 7, beat the potatoes with a heavy spoon.

7. Add the milk and continue to beat and add more milk until the consistency you want is met, then add the desired amount of salt and pepper for taste.

8. You're done! Excellent mashed potatoes for any meal or occasion. I am sure your family and friends will love them. Keep reading for serving instructions.

Serving:

1. Use a plate or wide bowl and make a large doughnut shape with the mashed potatoes, so there is a tall rim and a dip all the way to the bottom of the bowl/plate.

2. Ladle some stew in the center till the desired amount is placed.

3. Sprinkle some fresh parsley over the top and serve.

I sincerely hope you will enjoy this meal, and thank you very much for reading. Keep cooking, and best wishes to you on your culinary adventures!