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Passport & Plate - Beef stew that will make grandma proud

USA | Thursday, February 27, 2014 | 3 photos

Ingredients
2-3 tbs Olive oil for searing the beef
3 lbs beef (chuck is best - you don’t want a lean cut)
1 bottle of red wine (inexpensive, but something you’d actually drink)
4 carrots (or more, if you really like carrots)
1 large onion
4 cloves of garlic
4 sprigs of fresh thyme (or teaspoon of dried thyme)
4 cup of beef stock (beef bouillon is OK)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp of ground chillies (optional - if you like a kick to your food)
1/2 lbs mushrooms (optional)
2 tsp Salt (to taste)
1 tsp Pepper (to taste)
3 tbs of flour to thicken the sauce

 

How to prepare this recipe
Prepare your ingredients:
- Cut your beef into aprox 2cm cubes
- Peel and chop your carrots (aprox 0.5cm thick)
- Roughly dice your onions
- Finely chop your garlic

Heat up your cast iron pot for searing the meat. I use my Dutch oven. You can use a skillet or a frying pan. Pour enough olive oil to thinly coat the bottom and put in a fistfull of beef. You don't want to crowd the meat or it won't sear correctly. If the beef is sizzling right away, then your pot is hot enough. Salt and pepper the beef generously. Sear the beef on all sides. The bottom of the pan will become brown. That's OK. You'll know the beef is done when the meat comes off the bottom easily. Repeat for all your beef.

After all the beef is seared, pour a quarter of the wine in to deglaze. Gently scrape the bottom of the pan with a plastic spatula. Add the rest of the wine and simmer it for 2-3 mins.

If you're using a Dutch oven or similar, add in your beef, onions, carrots, garlic, bay leaves and thyme. If you used a frying pan to sear your meat, transfer the wine and all the other ingredients to the pot in which you will stew. Pour in enough beef stock so that everything is just submerged.

Bring the pot to a simmer, turn down your burner to medium/low and cover. Stir the stew every 15-20 minutes to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.

1 hour in, taste the broth to see if needs more salt and pepper. I find that what I used in the browning of the meat is usually enough.
Decide whether you'll use chili or mushrooms. Now's the time to add them if you do.

Continue to simmer until the meat is tender enough for your taste. I like it falling apart, so I cook this stew for 3 hours total, but it's ready to eat after just 1.5 hours.

When your meat is ready, dissolve the flour in a bit of cold water. Add in a couple tbs of the stew broth and combine. Pour the mixture into the pot to thicken, stir and simmer for two mins. Serve with mashed potatoes or crusty bread. Enjoy!

 

The story behind this recipe
To me, cooking and eating is about family and friends gathered together, enjoying life and being happy. That's why I love to cook big, heartwarming pots of goodness with bold flavors. This stew is a winner at every big family gathering. When I cook it, the scent of garlic and thyme fill the entire house and get everyone in the mood for food. What's best is that it's super easy to make so even a beginner cook will impress her audience with its bold flavors.

I first made this stew when I was a teenager. I had been learning to cook by watching my mom and grandma and I longed to create dishes of my own, dishes that would make them proud. I saw Julia Child make her boeuf bourguignon on TV and thought "That's something mom and grandma would love!" So I made it her way the first time, but each time after that I adapted it to suit my family's taste. 20+ years later it's still a hit.

Over the years I've tried many varieties - I've added other root vegetables, varied the amount of carrots, tried different herbs, skipped browning the meat, etc. I found that as long as you stick to the basic ingredients I've outlined, you'll end up with a delish dish.

I picked this recipe because it represents my first adventure as an independent cook, not a student. This stew is my signature dish in my family, not a rendition of grandma's or auntie's old recipe. That's important to me because cooking to me isn't just about eating good food - it's about contributing and bringing people together, both of which this stew does without fail.

One of the big reasons I'd love to win this Italy experience is to bring some of their food traditions back to my family to share with them. I learned a lot from my grandma in her day, but she's been gone many years. She passed away just as my culinary journey was beginning. It's not the same, but I sure would love to meet the Italian grandmas and learn their dishes. Even though I can't make my grandma proud anymore, maybe at least I can make them proud.