Red Wine Beef Stew with Buttermilk Cornbread

I’ve had several requests for my beef stew recipe this weekend.  It made for a perfect holiday braise in our new slow-cooker.  Glad you all enjoyed it!

RED WINE BEEF STEW

(makes 1 large crock pot: approx. 20 ppl)

3 lbs. Beef Chuck Roast (large dice) **

1 onion (small dice)

3 stalks of celery (small dice)

4 garlic cloves (chopped)

3 parsnips (large dice)

3 carrots (large dice)

1 lbs potatoes (fingerling or small white potatoes, halved or diced)

1 large can of tomatoes (diced, unsalted)

1 small can tomato paste

1 can of beef broth (unsalted)

thyme sprigs

1 Cup of red wine (merlot or cabernet)

Slowcooker method:

• Season beef generously with kosher salt and pepper.  On high heat in a LARGE PAN or cast iron, brown the diced meat on all sides (5 minutes).  Transfer seared meat into slowcooker.  In the same pan, add onions, garlic, celery and saute on high heat until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add tomato paste and saute for another 2 minutes.  Deglaze with red wine and reduce until pasty.  Reduce liquid by half on high heat.  Transfer everything into a slow cooker.  Add canned tomatoes, beef broth, thyme springs, potatoes, carrots, parsnips.  Set on high for 6-8 hours with the lid on until meat is fork tender.

Stovetop method:

• Season beef generously with kosher salt and pepper.  On high heat in a LARGE POT, brown the diced meat on all sides (5 minutes).  Add onions, garlic, celery and saute on high heat until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add tomato paste and saute for another 2 minutes.  Deglaze with red wine until pasty.  Add canned tomatoes, beef broth, thyme springs, potatoes, carrots, parsnips.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 2-4 hours with the lid on until meat is fork tender.

Serves well over bread, steamed rice, or cornbread.

** I prefer to buy my meats whole and butcher them myself.  You can do this yourself with this particular cut of meat.  I bought my chuck roast from whole foods.  Chuck is the shoulder blade of the cow and is very tough, full of fat and connective tissues which is great for stews and braises.  You can also look towards purchasing top round.  I try not to purchase “stew meat” since it’s already diced up by the butchers and there is less control over which part of the animal the meat has come from.  This recipe is a great way to learn the standard techniques to braising.  You can play around with switching out types of meat (chicken, pork, lamb), different wines (white vs. red), and different herbs/vegetables to make a different type of stew! ENJOY!