by SmallKitchCara
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5-5.5 pounds
beef stewing meat, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
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salt
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pepper
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1/3 cup
mixed olive and canola oil
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2
leeks, washed well and cut thinly
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1
large onion, diced
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8
cloves garlic, minced
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2
carrots, diced
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4
celery ribs, diced
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4 ounces
white mushrooms, roughly chopped
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1/4 cup
tomato paste
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2
anchovies
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1/2 cup
red wine vinegar
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1 cup
red wine
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3 cups
beef broth
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1 cup
canned whole tomatoes with juices
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1 1/2 teaspoon
salt
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3
bay leaves
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3/4 teaspoons
dried thyme
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1/3 cup
chopped parsley
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Season the beef with salt and pepper on both sides. Brown the meat in batches in a 5-6 quart Dutch oven over high heat, adding more oil as needed. Remove to a plate.
Ask the hotline about this step!Lower the heat and add all the vegetables. Cook for 5-10 minutes until softened. Stir in the tomato paste and anchovies and cook to melt the anchovies and distribute.
Ask the hotline about this step!Add the beef back in, with its juices. Add the wine, vinegar, and tomatoes with juice (breaking them up against the side of the pot as you go) and bring to a boil. Add the stock to cover (you may need a bit more than 3 cups). Put in the salt, bay leaf, thyme, bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered, for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate.
Ask the hotline about this step!When cool, skim off much of the fat from the top. Reheat over low heat, letting the stew simmer 30-45 minutes before serving.
Ask the hotline about this step!Mix in half of the parsley and garnish with the rest.
Ask the hotline about this step!Well, it all worked out! My husband said it was the best stew he ever had! :)
Could I just as easily use anchovy paste. I keep that on-hand for Caesar salad.
I used anchovy paste and loved this stew!
I used anchovy paste and loved this stew!
Just tried this recipe. Great flavor and depth. Subbed in chicken broth for beef broth because I think it makes the flavors pop more. Really good.
This stew tastes so much better on day 2!! The meat really needs to soak up the broth.
This is a delicious recipe, and reminds me of Neapolitan Ragu (a recipe in All About Braising by Molly Stevens).
Now I must eat all the leftover anchovies.
:-)
This stew tastes so much better on day 2!! The meat really needs to soak up the broth.
This is a delicious recipe, and reminds me of Neapolitan Ragu (a recipe in All About Braising by Molly Stevens).
Now I must eat all the leftover anchovies.
:-)
Drizzle and grey and cold and miserable - the joy of a southern state winter in Australia.
What's a girl to do but fill the house with warmth from an oven, and the delicious smells of some slow cooked beef?!? Followed the master recipe (as much as I can anyways!) and all the boxes were totally ticked! Now I just have to try and stay awake with my boyo for the final (thank god!) night of the Tour de France.
Many thanks smallkitchcara for taking the guesswork out of the menu!
I'm thinking that one of these days I need to make the hubs a big pot of beef stew. While I won't eat it, I would certainly get lots of pleasure in knowing that he's a happy man... and I'll enjoy inhaling the wonderful aroma.
I've tried many beef stew recipes and found a few keepers and this one is certainly in the keeper category - yummy and sophisticated!
Holy umami, Batman! This stuff is almost sensory overload. We like it a lot.
Have commented on this recipe before and want to say what a huge hit it is. I went to a large family gathering about 6 hours drive away. Made this wonderful recipe at home and hauled it across the mountains. Rave reviews and it gets better the longer it sits.
We made this last weekend (our third time over past year) it was absolutely the best beef stew we've ever eaten. Quote from my husband "If we ever got something like this in a restaurant - we'd be falling down and hugging ourselves". Says it all really.
It is a spectacular recipe and plus smells so good while it is cooking. Thank you for sharing this.
Made this for dinner tonight. It was really delicious and easy. Thanks for the recipe!
I just made this for Sunday lunch and it was a huge hit! Thanks
Made this last night and enjoyed it today. Wonderful richness, loved it. Thank you.
Fantastic! The best beef stew I have ever had, and I have tried a lot as it is one of my favorite dishes, added a few tators for the last hour, the tomoto paste and anchovies made this dish! So deep in flavour! Well done!!
We tried this a few nights ago and it was delicious! It's the best stew my hubby's ever made.
Vinegar was a nice touch. Skipping the pork (fat back) from my family's usual Daube Provencal made the dish less rich, but the flavors were all brighter. A repeater.
Thanks everyone for your comments and your votes!
Congrats on the win! I am not an anchovy fan, but will eat them if sufficiently motivated. This recipe just might do the trick. It sounds too good not to try.
I swear! You really can't taste them. Along w/ the rest of the ingredients, they just enliven the stew. Let me know how it turns out!
love the anchovies! I added then to the short ribs i made this weekend, and almost always add them to my tomato sauce.
I love cooking with secret ingredients. This sounds delicious and can't wait to try.
served this last night and it was a big hit with 5 adults and 4 kids....and loved it with parsleyed orzo. yum!!
Oh so glad to hear it turned out well.
looks fantastic!! cant wait to try it!
This gamine website is awesome too...
the anchovies are something i wouldnt have thought of, good luck!
smallkitchen cara, we love you and your beef stew!
love,
the girls at www.thegamine.com
I'm absolutely down with the anchovy part. It adds a bottom flavor that even anchovy haters (like my sister) can't detect. It's one of our secret weapons.
yay! I'm sad I didn't get to try the original--but I'll have to test it out myself now! Congrats!
What a great application for anchovies!
I love this. I've been playing with adding things like anchovies and fish sauce to beefy dishes for a few months myself, and it really does boost the meaty flavor!
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All the veggies get diced into nice small pieces for even distribution.
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Amanda gives these dirty little leeks a bath.
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Is Merrill making that face because she somehow senses Amanda approaching with that big knife?
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A pile o' leeks.
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Amanda uses her trusty meat pounder to pulverize several garlic cloves.
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SmallKitchCara specifies to brown the meat well for maximum flavor; we cut down a little on the oil and kept the heat at about medium for a slow caramelization.
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Teamwork makes it all so much easier.
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The veggies go into the pot to soften and catch any of the nice brown bits.
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Tomato paste partially obscures the "secret ingredient": anchovies!
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Red wine from above.
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Nope, it's not cranberry juice, but red wine vinegar!
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Amanda squishes the canned tomatoes in her fist before adding them to the stew.
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A sad little prisoner who somehow missed the boat.
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Last but not least, the herbs go in. Now, everything simmers for a couple of hours.
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Sooo many questions about the recipe directions for this one. Can anyone help?
My husband LOVES stews. I generally don't but thought I'd try cooking this tonight - to serve tomorrow based on comments below. Here are my questions:
1. It says to "remove the beef to a plate" in Step 1...but it doesn't say what to do with the excess sauce...til Step 3. I had 1.5 cups of "liquid" - so much that it would never work on a plate with the meat. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to put it all back in or not after step 2. (I did...we'll see tomorrow.)
2. IF one gets rid of all of the beef and liquid, what is one supposed to cook all of the veggies in? Dry? Add extra oil? (which I did - about a tablespoon) Or should I have kept the liquid IN the pot to cook the veggies in?
3. In Step 3 was I supposed to get the pot to two separate boils - one after the juices and wine/vinegar/tomatoes and one after the stock/salt/seasonings? OR could/should I just put all of that in for one big boil in this step? (what I did)
4. I haven't gotten there yet but I called a foodie friend who asked me if I should be using a gary separator BEFORE putting the liquid back in. Thoughts?
At this point it is cooling...and already tastes good so I am looking forward to it. It takes such a long time I didn't want to make big mistakes re questions above. Interested to hear answers...
Thanks!
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