Beef stew has a very special memory in my mind. My mother-in-law introduced beef stew to me when I first moved to United States many years ago. I loved it right away, and still love the combination of tender beef cubes, chunky potatoes, carrots, and celery in a gravy.

Stews are similar to soups but the big difference is that stews have less liquid, are much thicker, and require longer cooking over low heat. Stews are also thick enough to serve over a base like mashed potatoes or creamy polenta.

I got top round beef roast from the grocery store to make this stew, but you can use tougher or cheaper cuts of beef because it cooks so slowly that everything gets tender. The beef that you buy should have some marbling or fat to make sure the stew is tender and juicy.

Ingredients you will need include beef, onions, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and red wine. The red wine makes a big difference in the final flavor! I use Pinot Noir from my favorite local winery Willamette Valley Vineyards. To make my stew I first coat the meat pieces with flour, then I sear them in oil. This process makes the meat juicy and thickens the gravy later in the process. You can easily make double the amount if you are feeding a lot of people.

Putting this wonderful stew together doesn’t require much time as most of the cooking happens in the oven. You can also make this stew a day ahead as the taste improves as it sits in the refrigerator.

I hope you give this sophisticated twist on beef stew a try!

Ingredients

Beef

• 2.28 lbs. beef top round roast boneless, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried parsley or 1 tbsp. fresh chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Vegetables

• 1 1/2 cup Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup or 2 carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch wide rounds
• 1/2 cup celery cut into 1/2-inch wide slices

Stew

• 5 tbsp. oil
• 1 cup shallots, chopped
• 5 cloves or 1 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
• 2 tbsp. beef base
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 1/2 cup red wine (WVV pinot noir)
• 3 cups water
• 2 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt

Mushrooms

• 8 oz. button mushrooms, cleaned
• 1 tbsp. oil
• 1/3 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine flour, dried herbs, salt and pepper in a shallow baking dish. Toss the beef cubes in seasoned flour.

Heat the oil 1 1/2 tbsp. at a time in a large heavy- bottom oven proof saucepan or deep skillet. Fry the beef in batches for about 5-6 minutes until golden brown. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside.

Add another 2 tbsp. of oil in a skillet and fry the shallots and garlic, stirring well for about 2 minutes or until the onions are soft.

Next, add the wine, water, beef base, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, ketchup, and salt. Use a wire whisk to mix all ingredients well and scraping down the brown bits.

Return all of the beef, accumulated juices from the beef, and celery to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn off the heat and cover the pan with with lid. Bake at 350° for 1-1/2 hours.

Add the carrots and stir well, then cover and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add in potatoes and cook for another 10 minutes. In the meantime heat 1 tbsp. of oil in a small saucepan or skillet, then gently brown the mushrooms with recommended salt and pepper until golden brown. Add mushroom to the stew and cook for another 15 minutes or until the meat and vegetables are tender. Stir well and taste for seasoning. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

You can serve the stew with crusty bread or over creamy mashed potatoes!

Serves 6-8

Did you make this dish? I’d love to know how it turns out! Feel free to like this post and comment or use the hashtag #globaldinein on Instagram. If you would to be notified of upcoming posts, please consider subscribing to my blog!