Warm yourself on a cold night with a bowl of beef stew.
I find this stew the perfect combination of indulgent and earthy.
Shitake mushrooms add their delicious, full-bodied flavor to the stew, while the marjoram adds flavors that are floral and fresh. Marjoram can be substituted with fresh thyme and shitakes with crimini mushrooms.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 kg (2 pounds) boneless beef chuck (cut into large cubes)
- 1 large brown onion, diced
- 1/4 cup of tomato paste
- 2 cups of dry red wine
- 1 cup of water
- 4 cups of low sodium beef stock
- 1 Tbsp of dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp of sea salt
- 4 medium yellow potatoes, cut into quarters
- 4 medium carrots, cut into thick slices
- 15 Shitake mushrooms, stemmed and caps cut into thick slices
- 2 Tbsp of fresh marjoram or thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
- Place flour in mixing bowl. Season with 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper.
- Melt butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy-based sauce pan over a medium-high heat. Working in batches, coat beef with flour, then add it to the saucepan and brown it on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to transfer browned beef to a plate. Set aside.
- Add a another 2 tablespoons of oil to the saucepan and add the onions; sauté until tender and translucent for about 5 minutes.
- Mix in the tomato paste, then wine. Bring to the boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add the beef stock, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, then beef and any juices that may have collected.
- Bring to boil then reduce heat to very low. Cover saucepan with a lid but leave the lid open just a sliver. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
- After this time, turn up the heat to medium and add the potatoes. Simmer for 25 minutes.
- Add carrots; turn heat down to low, cover pot and simmer until for 15 minutes. Add mushrooms and marjoram; simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Allow stew to cool just a little before serving.