Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 lb. chuck-eye roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 4 oz. pancetta, cut into small dice
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, coarsely chopped
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup full-bodied red wine
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 Tbs. veal demi-glace
- Buttered parsleyed noodles for serving
- Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish
Directions
Season the beef generously with salt and pepper.In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the pancetta until browned and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.
Increase the heat to medium-high. Working in batches, brown the beef on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer the beef to a large bowl.
Reduce the heat to medium and warm the olive oil. Add the onions and carrots and sauté until almost softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaves and sauté for about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook until lightly colored, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom. Add the stock, demi-glace and the reserved pancetta and bring to a simmer. Return the beef to the pan, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the meat is tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Remove the bay leaves and discard. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve the stew over buttered parsleyed noodles and garnish with parsley. Serves 8 to 10.
Related Items
Rated 5 out of
5
by
GigiKevinJupiter from
Best Beef Stew I've Ever Had!!!
We followed recipe exactly as written except for we had 3 1/2 lbs. of chuck roast. We cut some of the fat off. It was delicious!!! For those that have substituted with bacon and omitted demi glaze, you must try this recipe again with them!!! They are important ingredients that make this stew stand out from the rest in our opinion. We used Flora brand Egg Pappardelle noodles. We did put butter and chopped parsley on the noodles. Then we tossed the noodles into the stew and let it everything sit in the dutch oven for 30 minutes just because we were busy and then dished it out and we were in heaven!!! Based upon how we followed the recipe, I would say that this yields for 6 people. This is a 5+++
Date published: 2015-10-25
Rated 5 out of
5
by
jwils0606 from
fantastic stew
This is not a quick version of beef stew. If you have time to do the chopping and slicing of 5 lbs of beef-- its the best beef stew recipe I've ever made. the demi-glace is a magical addition. doesn't taste the same without it.
Makes and large batch which yields killer left overs. My work colleagues are all green with envy when I heat this in the microwave. Amazing!
Date published: 2014-10-18
Rated 5 out of
5
by
cooking4fam from
so easy, lots of flavor
I didn't have all the ingredients, but as is true with so many of the WS recipes, you can make do with what you have and substitute when needed, and still make a great meal. The chuck-eye roast meat was amazing and I think made it especially good. But the best part about this stew was the bacon I used (didn't have the pancetta). It made it so rich and added to the depth of flavor beautifully, without being too salty. I didn't have the demi-glace, but it didn't matter. I have 3 kids and they all loved it and ate every last bit. Am making it again today and know it will be a hit.
Date published: 2014-02-09
Rated 5 out of
5
by
sinclait from
Great winter meal
I prepared this meal for a few guests and everyone really enjoyed it. Nice flavors. Next time, I would pay closer attention as the end of the cooking time neared; even though it was on low, some of the stew on the bottom began to burn close to the two hour mark.
Date published: 2014-01-05
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Consumer2 from
Excellent, even with substitutions
I only had 2.5 lbs. of meat and the recipe was fine. I used bacon instead of pancetta. I substituted baby carrots for regular-sized carrots. Instead of the veal demi-glace, I used jarred beef bullion stock. I used a little less than one tablespoon because it's saltier than the demi-glace.
The meat was so tender and I only cooked for 2 hours. Perhaps that's because I was using less meat.
The sauce is phenomenal. The blend of bacon, onions, wine, beef, and sweet carrots was divine. It's worth the effort and clean up. Will definitely make again.
Date published: 2013-10-01
Rated 3 out of
5
by
JustWantGoodFood from
Not enough flavor for the effort
This wasn't a bad recipe but was a lot of effort with just mediocre results. From reading the other reviews, I expected the stew to be much more flavorful than it was. The meat was nice and tender after 2 1/2 hours, but next time I will add different types of vegetables to make it more interesting and experiment with ways to get a deeper flavor.
Date published: 2012-01-22
Rated 5 out of
5
by
SoDakLady from
Ideal Winter Comfort Food
I have made this recipe at least once a month for the last 5 years. I substitute a bag of peeled baby carrots, which are a bit sweeter, pair well with the flavor from the wine, and cut down on prep time. Prefering a bit more sauce to ladle over the noodles and soak up with my homemade crusty french bread; I increased the beef stock to 3-4 cups and the wine to 1 1/2 cups. I also started using butcher pre-cut stew meat when it is on sale (which again cuts on prep time). The veal demi-glace is a non-exsistent item in my more rural area and the cost of ordering is not offset by a difference in the taste of the dish. I have dropped this ingredient altogether. Pancetta is also non-exsistent in my area and is substituted with thick cut bacon. I add fresh rosemary sprigs from our indoor winter window garden (fresh sprigs are wrapped in cheesecloth and tied with twine for removal with the bay leaves) although 1-2 Tbs. of Herbs De Provence was a close second.
Date published: 2012-01-18