Traditional Beef Stew

Growing up this was one of my favorite dishes. I would ask my mom to make it for my birthday, special occasions, or as much as I could. These days I actually cannot beef, but occasionally I do...ssshhh...Anyway, I love making a great pot of stew and serving it alongside bread. On a side note I love Lima beans in mine, but since I am the only Lima bean eater in the house, they sadly get left out.

Full time 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours
Makes 6-8 servings

You will need:

1 1/2 lbs lean stew meat
3 medium-large potatoes, diced into 1/2" pieces
3-4 stalks celery, diced into 1/2" pieces
1 large onion, diced fine
1 beef bouillon cube
2 cup beef stock
1 cup baby carrots, diced into 1/2" pieces
1 cup Cabernet or dark red wine
1 cup water
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen petite peas
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp cold extremely cold water
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Let us begin:

In a dutch over or heavy bottom pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add in onions and cook 3-5 minutes or until they soften.

Add in stew meat brown evenly, roughly 5-8 minutes.

Once meat has been browned nicely, you may still have some red spots, it is okay. Add in the carrots and celery.

Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring once.

Add in wine and bullion cube.

Bring to a boil and then add in rosemary, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Allow to boil for 10 minutes to cook off the alcohol, stirring occasionally.

Add in stock.

Add in potatoes.

Watch, actually listen for the pot to sound like it is boiling again. You will probably not see more then small bubbles on the surface, do not let that fool you.

This takes a few minutes, while it does it's thing. Place frozen peas and corn into a microwave safe bowl. Add in the water.

Place bowl on surface next to the dutch oven. This will allow them to slowly defrost and warm without cooking them.

Once this begins to happen, lower the heat to low-simmer and cover with a lid. Set a 20 minute timer and walk away.

When the timer goes off, carefully lift the lid and poke potatoes with a fork to see how they are progressing. Give a stir and recover.

Reset the timer and walk away again.

When the timer goes off, carefully lift the lid and poke the potatoes. If you can easily pierce them with a fork, you are ready to move on. If you cannot, recover and check in 10 minute increments.

Once potatoes are fork-able, add the contents of the vegetable bowl.

Stir well and return mixture to medium-high. Bringing it back to a gentle boil.

In a small bowl combine the extremely cold water and cornstarch to a smooth and even mixture with a fork.

Stir into the dutch oven and let cook 5-8 minutes to slightly thicken the base.

Serve and cheers!