All Cozy Beef Stew
This is a hearty beef stew that takes a bit of effort to prepare, but it’s worth it! There are a lot of good, fresh ingredients that make this stew perfect for a special, long winter night.
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 pound boneless flank steak, cut into small chunks
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 teaspoon canola oil, divided
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped yellow onion
8 ounces sliced white mushrooms
3 cups beef broth
4 teaspoons tomato paste
3-4 large thyme sprigs
1 large bay leaf
1 pound red or baby white potatoes, scrubbed and cut in quarters
8 ounces baby carrots, coarse chopped
4 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
In a heavy zip lock bag place the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Close and shake to incorporate all ingredients together. Add meat to bag and shake to completely coat the meat.
Add 2 teaspoons of oil to a large Dutch oven. Heat over medium high heat until oil is hot. Add meat and brown about 3 minutes, stirring around until all the chunks are browned. Remove meat to a plate.
Add onions and mushrooms to oil. Cook until onion is soft about 5 minutes. Add broth, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Mix until all ingredients are combined.
On medium-high heat bring mixture to a boil. When it BEGINS to boil add bay leaf and thyme. Let mixture come up to a rapid boil. Add potatoes, carrots and meat to boiling liquid. REDUCE heat to low and simmer, covered with lid tipped just a bit, approximate 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf and thyme before serving.