I'm not sure how it happened that we don't have a regular beef stew recipe in our collection, but I've fixed that today. Below is not the actual recipe that I used but after I made a very similar one this week I thought what I really would have liked in it was a bay leaf. And a little less tomato paste. And voila! Here is one that fits the bill. I also had thought about adding wine. I didn't think about adding beer, because I don't have any. In any case, beef stew is a flexible dish anyway so you could put in beer or wine or just stick with beef broth. This one calls for browning the meat, but I didn't. But I may try tenderizing it next time, as this one suggests.
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef stew meat
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1/4 cup beer
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup peas
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Sprinkle stew meat with salt and toss till well combined. Using a fork, prick the meat in multiple places to tenderize. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, but ideally refrigerate overnight.
Toss the meat with flour. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and then sear meat until browned on the outside.
While meat is browning, mix together tomato paste, soy sauce, beef stock (use more if you like it more soupy than stewy) and Guinness & red wine (if using) in slow cooker.
Transfer meat (browned or not) to slow cooker. Add garlic, onions, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves, and black pepper.
Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 until meat is falling apart and tender.
If using peas, microwave for ~1 minute and then fold them into stew.
Remove bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 2 cups
Per serving: Calories: 363; Total Fat: 11g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 9mg; Sodium: 582mg; Carbohydrate: 35g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 7g; Protein: 27g
