I tend to ramp up my cooking when it’s cold out. Part of this is sheer functionality: the oven heats up my kitchen, making my existence in my cold Chicago atmosphere more comfortable. The other part is comfort and pleasure – something about the shorter days, the dying leaves, the oncoming winter makes things like stews, soups and braises seem like the natural thing to do.
The best part about these dishes is the full-day aspect of it. Stews, chilis and other long-simmering meals will bubble and churn all through the morning and afternoon, making your whole place filled with scent. This particular stew only needs a couple hours to cook, but it makes for a nice early-evening thing to do, and there’s alcohol involved, which is usually awesome.
You need:
2 pounds beef chuck for stew, cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
4 medium carrots, sliced
3 small onions, medium diced
2 tablespoons flour
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans reduced-sodium beef or chicken broth
2 cups dry red wine
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 tbs. dried rosemary
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 handfuls green beans, ends trimmed
To save cash, do what I do: Don’t buy the pre-cut stew meat from your butcher. Buy yourself a couple pounds of chuck roast, take it home and dice it yourself. You’ll get the size you like (I find their cuts too big, so I dice mine smaller) and you’ll save at least a buck a pound.
For red wine: the rule of thumb is “don’t cook with anything you wouldn’t drink.” Luckily, I drink nearly anything. Trader Joe’s 2 or 3 Buck Chuck (depending what state you shop in) has a good Cabernet Sauvignon that I will gladly drink, as well as use in my stews.
Season your cubed beef with salt & pepper. In your stewpot, sear the beef some butter, removing when each side has turned a nice brown. This might be a two-step process, depending on the size of your pot. Remove the meat, and add in your carrot and onion. Cook the veggies in your remaining butter and beef leavin’s until the onion becomes translucent/see-through, about 5 minutes.
Pour in the flour and stir it into the carrot/onion until it’s not powdery and white any longer – you shouldn’t be able to recognize anything as floury. At this point, add your beef/chicken broth and the wine, as well as the can of crushed tomatoes and your rosemary. Reintroduce the beef into the broth mixture, and let simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
Feel free to enjoy the remains of the wine. Or hell – open another bottle. Now the waiting game begins.
At the end of one hour, add in your diced potatoes and continue to simmer for another 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, the beef should be plenty tender and your potatoes should be fork-tender as well – if you have to work to get it on your utensil, they need more time. Green beans go in last, only needing about 10-15 minutes to cook through. Grand total of this stew adventure should run just over 2 hours, making this perfect to start on a late afternoon. Enjoy a glass of wine or two, and it’ll be ready before you know it.
Tags: beef stew, meat, wine
