Beef Stew

Beef Stew over Steamed White Rice

A handy tool for making beef stew is a small chopper featured in one of my posts, Basil Pesto. If you don't have one, just chop the carrots, onion, and garlic as finely as you can since these three ingredients are the flavor base for the beef stew.

The base flavors: Chopped Carrots, Onions, and Garlic

Before browning the beef, I season the meat and toss with bread crumbs in a big resealable freezer bag. 

I also added beef bone since stews and soups are more flavorful when cooked with bone-in meat or with "soup bones".

The spices I used in this stew were paprika and italian seasoning.  I also added fish sauce or vietnamese "nuoc mam" but this is optional.

Just remember to layer your spices, salt, and pepper a little at a time until you get the flavor to your liking.

Ingredients:

1 medium size onion

5 cloves of garlic

3 med size carrots

1/2 cup bread crumbs 

2 lbs stew beef or chuck

1 lb Beef bone

Salt

Pepper 

Oil

1 small can Tomato Paste

1/2 can from 425 gram canned Tomato Sauce
Water 

1 tsp paprika (optional) 
1 tsp italian seasoning (optional)
4 medium sized potatoes (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut beef into 1 inch pieces

2. Lightly Salt and Pepper the pieces of beef

3.  Toss the beef and beef bone/s in a resealable bag with the 
   bread crumbs. Seal tightly and shake lightly, making sure each
   piece of beef is coated with crumbs.

4. Heat the oil in a large pot/dutch oven on medium heat and

   brown the beef on both sides. Set aside.

*Don't scrape the bread crumbs stuck to the bottom of the pan. It will dissolve once you mix in the tomato sauce and water.

5. Add oil and Saute the chopped onions, garlic, and carrots 

   until tender. 

6. Mix in the tomato paste and tomato sauce and add water 

   depending on how thick you want the sauce to be. 

7. Lightly scrape the bottom of the pot until the bread crumbs

   dissolve in the sauce.

8. Add the beef, salt, pepper and spices to the pot. 

9. Mix and simmer on low heat for 2 hours.

10. Add the potatoes in after an hour and a half or until tender

 

Ingredients

Step 2: Lightly Salt and Pepper the pieces of beef

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5