Menu Monday: Beef Stew

Okay, as promised, here is the recipe!  I really love this recipe. If you're a fan of beef stew, or even if you're not, I recommend this one because it is so flavorful and the beef is so tender. 

Beef Stew

based on this recipe found on allrecipes.com
 

2 pounds cubed beef stew meat (I just used a cheap roast and cut it up, worked great)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups beef broth (or bouillon dissolved into water, I have used some of both or whatever I have on hand)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 potatoes, cubed
4 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped (the original recipe calls for a whole onion)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cold beef broth (or water)

 

In a large pot or dutch oven, cook beef in oil over medium heat until brown. Add broth. Stir in rosemary, parsley and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour (you can get away with 45-50 minutes if pressed for time, but the full time will yield the most tender meat).  Stir potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion into the pot. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 teaspoons cold water/broth and stir into stew. Cover and simmer 1 hour more. 

 

I served it with these rolls, my new favorite dinner roll recipe.  If I'm pressed for time, I can whip these babies up in 45 minutes!  Even Rhoades rolls have to thaw longer than that, so I love them!   The trick with them is to not add too much flour, they should be really soft and even sticky, more so than with other bread recipes.  And they take longer to bake than the recipe states, in my experience I have to bake them for 15 minutes at least, or they'll be way too doughy.  But they are amazingly light for how short their rise time is. 

This was dinner last night with my parents.  It was the perfect day for beef stew, gray and rainy, and it warmed us up from the inside out.  We may have more soup this week because there is more rain on the forecast....