Beef Stew

We never have stewing beef, so it was a real treat last week when we did have some and I made this hearty, veggie-filled stew. I found the recipe at recipelion.com and it was perfect! What a wonderfully satisfying dish on a cold winter evening. I will definitely make this again...if I ever get lucky enough to have stewing beef again. :) The original recipe calls for 2 pounds meat but in my opinion it only needs one. Other modifications are as listed.

Beef Stew

Yield: 8 servings

1 pound stewing beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 Tb. vegetable oil
2 Tb. (whole wheat) flour
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced into 1/4-inch square pices
2 cans beef stock (I used chicken broth)
1 can chopped tomatoes, with juice
1 c. red wine (I never have cooking wines, so instead I used a few splashes of red wine vinegar, to taste. This ingredient added the most richness and depth of taste, so don't skip it!)
1 Tb. Italian seasonings
1/2 Tb. dried parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 potatoes (or more), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 Tb. ketchup or tomato paste

Heat  oil in a large stock pot, and brown the beef on all sides.
Add flour and stir to coat.
Add a few tablespoons of the beef/chicken stock, and add onion and garlic.
Sauté until onion begins to soften.
Add remaining stock, tomatoes, red wine (or red wine vinegar), salt and pepper, and parsley.
Cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, adding more liquid if necessary.
Add carrots, potatoes and ketchup or tomato paste, and simmer an additional 15-30 minutes (until carrots and potatoes are to desired tenderness).