Hey there!
Since we moved to Bahrain, I have discovered a love for cooking. My love for food was always obvious but I never thought I was particularly gifted in the kitchen. Turns out, all I needed was a good kitchen and and a dash of confidence.
When I find great recipes I will start sharing them. I am by no means a chef so the recipes I share will be easier to cook with ingredients that are generally found everywhere. Now that we are expecting, I also try to find recipes that are larger in quantity so I can pack some for Indiana's lunches and enough to put in the freezer for another day. I also try and keep it on the hearty and healthy side to keep my little one inside my tummy happy and healthy.
So here is a recipe I stumbled across that I have fallen in love with.
Easy Beef Stew!
Note: Do not start to cook this if you or your family are already hungry! You will need about 2 hours and 45 minutes. This recipe makes about 4-6 servings. It can also be easily cut down or bulked up.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
- 1 (3- pound) boneless chuck roast (I used beef cubes already cut from the grocery store and used a little less than 3 pounds)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced largely
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine (I used Welch's 100% Grape Juice instead)
- 4 cups (1 quart) low-sodium beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs (I used dried thyme spices instead)
- 3 medium carrots
- 3 medium celery stalks
- 4 medium potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 cup frozen peas (I used canned instead)
Preparation:
1. Place 1/4 cup of the flour and the measured salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine; set aside. Trim the roast of excess fat and sinew and cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes. Place the meat in the flour mixture and toss to coat; set aside. (I saved on prep time by buying already cubed pieces of beef from Alosra)
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Shake off the excess flour from about 1/3 of the meat and add it to the pot. Cook, stirring rarely, until browned all over, about 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat. Remove to a large bowl, Repeat with the remaining meat in 2 more batches; set aside. (I only did it in two batches because I used less meat)
3. Add the diced onion to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir to coat the onion, and cook until raw flavor has cooked off, about 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Sprinkle in the remaining tablespoon of flour and cook, stirring occasionally, until the raw flavor has cooked off, about 1 minute. Pour in the wine (grape juice) scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and cook until the mixture has thickened, about 3 minutes.
5. Return the meat and any juices in the bowl to the pot. Add broth, bay leaves, thyme sprigs (or spice) and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. (If the liquid is too sweet because of the grape juice for you, add something like garlic and Worcestershire sauce to tone it down a bit)
6. Cut carrots, celery, and potatoes into large dices and add them to the pot (peel the carrots and potatoes first if you desire, which I do). Stir to combine, cover with a tight fitting lid, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables and meat are knife tender, about 1 hour or more.
7. Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme stems. Stir in the peas and simmer uncovered until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. (I decided to throw a dash of paprika in there to spice it up a tad)
Then you are ready to sit down and eat!!! For us being a family of two, for a few more months at least hehe, this recipe allowed me to put two containers in the fridge for our lunches tomorrow and still have two more servings to freeze for later.
Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did if you decide to make this!!!
Bye bye xoxo
Since we moved to Bahrain, I have discovered a love for cooking. My love for food was always obvious but I never thought I was particularly gifted in the kitchen. Turns out, all I needed was a good kitchen and and a dash of confidence.
When I find great recipes I will start sharing them. I am by no means a chef so the recipes I share will be easier to cook with ingredients that are generally found everywhere. Now that we are expecting, I also try to find recipes that are larger in quantity so I can pack some for Indiana's lunches and enough to put in the freezer for another day. I also try and keep it on the hearty and healthy side to keep my little one inside my tummy happy and healthy.
So here is a recipe I stumbled across that I have fallen in love with.
Easy Beef Stew!
Note: Do not start to cook this if you or your family are already hungry! You will need about 2 hours and 45 minutes. This recipe makes about 4-6 servings. It can also be easily cut down or bulked up.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
- 1 (3- pound) boneless chuck roast (I used beef cubes already cut from the grocery store and used a little less than 3 pounds)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced largely
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine (I used Welch's 100% Grape Juice instead)
- 4 cups (1 quart) low-sodium beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs (I used dried thyme spices instead)
- 3 medium carrots
- 3 medium celery stalks
- 4 medium potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 cup frozen peas (I used canned instead)
Preparation:
1. Place 1/4 cup of the flour and the measured salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine; set aside. Trim the roast of excess fat and sinew and cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes. Place the meat in the flour mixture and toss to coat; set aside. (I saved on prep time by buying already cubed pieces of beef from Alosra)
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Shake off the excess flour from about 1/3 of the meat and add it to the pot. Cook, stirring rarely, until browned all over, about 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat. Remove to a large bowl, Repeat with the remaining meat in 2 more batches; set aside. (I only did it in two batches because I used less meat)
3. Add the diced onion to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir to coat the onion, and cook until raw flavor has cooked off, about 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Sprinkle in the remaining tablespoon of flour and cook, stirring occasionally, until the raw flavor has cooked off, about 1 minute. Pour in the wine (grape juice) scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and cook until the mixture has thickened, about 3 minutes.
5. Return the meat and any juices in the bowl to the pot. Add broth, bay leaves, thyme sprigs (or spice) and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. (If the liquid is too sweet because of the grape juice for you, add something like garlic and Worcestershire sauce to tone it down a bit)
6. Cut carrots, celery, and potatoes into large dices and add them to the pot (peel the carrots and potatoes first if you desire, which I do). Stir to combine, cover with a tight fitting lid, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables and meat are knife tender, about 1 hour or more.
7. Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme stems. Stir in the peas and simmer uncovered until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. (I decided to throw a dash of paprika in there to spice it up a tad)
Then you are ready to sit down and eat!!! For us being a family of two, for a few more months at least hehe, this recipe allowed me to put two containers in the fridge for our lunches tomorrow and still have two more servings to freeze for later.
Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did if you decide to make this!!!
Bye bye xoxo
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