Lisa's Dinnertime Dish: Italian Beef Stew

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I love beef stew and I love that there are so many different ways to make it. Some make it in the oven, some in the crock pot and some on the stovetop. Then there's all of the variations of ingredients, carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes, potatoes, parsnips, peas and so on. When I found this recipe in (where else but) Cooking Light (I seem to have a theme going this week) I knew I had to make it.

     First of all it was Italian Beef Stew and I love all things Italian, so that caught my attention. I also loved that it used fresh tomatoes instead of canned, I think that really makes this stew something special. It also has mushrooms in the mix and I love mushrooms. I've actually made this stew a number of times and have tweaked it just a little to suit my family, the main thing being I added potatoes.

     This recipe does take some time to make, but it would be perfect to spend a weekend afternoon in the kitchen putting this together.  Then as it simmers on your stovetop, it will fill your house with a wonderful aroma!

Italian Beef Stew

3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
2 lbs stew meat
salt and pepper
1 cup dry red wine
2 lbs roma tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1/2 cup water
2 tsp fresh oregano, minced ( I had dried and used about 1/2 tsp)
2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
3/4 cup sliced carrot
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp parsley, chopped

Prep your veggies and herbs

Put flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a zip-loc bag. Add beef, seal bag and shake to coat.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. When pan is hot, add onion, chopped carrot and a little bit of salt and pepper, saute for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and saute for about 45 seconds, until garlic is fragrant.

Remove vegetable mixture from pan. Increase heat to medium high and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add half of meat to pan. Saute about 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan, add another tbsp of olive oil and add the rest of the meat, sauteing on all sides.

Remove beef from pan and set aside.

Add wine to pan and bring to a boil, scraping up all the browned bits. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes.

Return meat and the onion mixture to the pan. Add tomato, beef broth, water, oregano, thyme and mushrooms as well.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Uncover and stir in carrots and potatoes. Simmer uncovered for 1 hour or until meat is very tender, stirring occasionally.