Anyone who has been out in blustery weather can understand that upon opening my eyes to hear wind and rain battering my window, I was determined to make a large pot of beef stew. I donned my layers, including my bright yellow raincoat, and ventured to the English Market against the wind, with raindrops spitting like the spray of ocean waves. The Market was bustling with Saturday morning shoppers, but it only took a short time to fetch all my ingredients then I was back home in my apron preparing the stew.
This is the recipe that came of my morning in the kitchen:
Beef Stew
1 1/2 cups mulled red wine (non-alcoholic substitute: Blend of 1 cup beef stock, 6 tablespoons cherry juice, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar)
1 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 kilo of stewing beef chunks
Olive oil
1/4 cup sliced shallots or red onion
3 cups beef stock
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped to even sized chunks
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
6 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons of herbs de Provence
1. In an air-tight container, place 1/2 cup of the mulled red wine, 1/2 tablespoon of the minced garlic, and the beef chunks. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients or overnight if you prefer.
2. In a large pot or sauce pan over medium-high heat, cook the onions and remaining garlic in olive oil. Once lightly browned, transfer to slow cooker or stewing pot.
3. In the first pot, place the three cups of beef stock. If using frozen beef stock, you can place it in frozen and warm it over medium-low heat. Once completely defrosted and warm, stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons of flour and whisk to blend then let warm over medium-low heat for a couple minutes (just enough time to quickly hand wash the potato pot so you have fewer dishes later).
4. Transfer the beef stock to the slow cooker then add a little olive oil to the now-empty pot and add the beef chunks that had been marinating in the refrigerator. Set aside the wine to deglaze the pan after the beef has been browned. Brown the beef, but no need to cook through, then transfer to the slow cooker. Deglaze the pan with the marinated wine, bringing to light boil then pour into the slow cooker. Sprinkle in the dried herbs.
5. Stir to mix the vegetables and meat in the cooker then let cook uncovered for 45 minutes on low. After that time, add the remaining cup of wine and cover to cook for 5-9 hours. Meanwhile, in a separate pot parboil the potatoes for 5 minutes. Add the carrots, parboiled potatoes, and parsnips to the stew and let cook for 1 more hour.
This is the speedy version of the recipe for use with slow cookers. I came up with this after trying to cook a hot dinner with a newborn needing some attention so I only had ten minutes to get dinner started:
Speedy Slow Cooker Beef Stew
1 1/2 cups mulled red wine (non-alcoholic substitute: Blend of 1 cup beef stock, 6 tablespoons cherry juice, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar)
1 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 kilo of stewing beef chunks
3 cups beef stock
2 cups fresh mini carrots
2 cans of green beans
1 can button mushrooms
2 teaspoons of herbs de Provence
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Put the beef broth in the slow cooker and turn it on to high then add the garlic, spices, and wine. Then stir in the beef.
2. Cover slow cooker and let cook on high for 3 hours then transfer a ladel-full of the liquid from the slow cooker to a mug and stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons of flour. Whisk to blend then stir back into slow cooker.
3. Microwave the carrots for 6 minutes on medium heat with some of the beef broth. Once done, transfer to slow cooker. Stir in the canned button mushrooms. Replace lid, turn to low and let cook for 1 hour then stir in the canned green beans. Replace lid and let cook (on low) for 30–60 minutes then serve.
4. Serve with fresh bread, roast potatoes, or herb dumplings.
Ingredients Notes:
Because alcohol cannot be sold during early mornings and we didn’t have any Beamish, Murphy’s, or Guinness stout in the house, I could not make my Stout & Beef Stew. What we did have was a bottle of unopened mulled wine from the holidays. Of course, if alcohol isn’t your thing, I offer a suggested combination of liquids to use as a substitute for alcoholic mulled red wine. It won’t taste the same to drink, but should be similar to the cooked-in spicy, sweet tones it offers as a stew ingredient.
The beauty of the stew is you can work with in-season and available ingredients as well as those you prefer. If you like green beans, chop some and toss them in! If you dislike parsnips but love swede or turnips, feel free to substitute. Have some fun and make this stew your own.
The stew cost under €12 for four to six hungry adult servings (it goes further if served with dumplings or bread): Beef from my butcher was €5; Various vegetables/produce totaled €4.03 (enough to use for one or two other meals); Homemade beef stock made and frozen in November was nearly free; Mulled wine was €4 for a full bottle and we’ll drink the rest warmed for dessert; Olive oil, dried herbs, and flour were already on-hand and small amounts used so total cost less than €1.