Chef Michael Smith

You don’t really need a recipe to make a batch of old fashioned beef stew. A pot full of simple ingredients, some guidelines and some insight are more than enough!

A few pounds of trimmed stew beef
A few splashes of vegetable oil
A few carrots
A few ribs of celery
A few onions
A head of garlic
A bottle of your favourite red wine
A few cups of beef stock
Some of your favourite root vegetables: turnip, parsnip, potatoes or celery root
A few bay leaves
A handful of fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme or sage

Begin with a few pounds of trimmed stew beef, the toughest you can find. Tough meat is actually best for stewing because the muscles that are used the most are not just the toughest; they have the most flavour! They’re also easy at the checkout. Cut the meat up into medium chunks. Not too small though or the stew will cook too fast and you won’t get the marvelous, deep flavour that comes from long slow simmering.

Next brown the beef in a thick-bottomed stew pot. This is the single most important step in making a richly flavoured stew. Because the stew will only simmer it will never achieve the high temperatures necessary to caramelize the meat; this is your only chance! The affect on the flavour is dramatic!

Use enough oil to coat the bottom and if you need to - add more as you go along.
Dry the meat on paper towels to help it brown.
Try not to overcrowd the pan or it will cool and not properly brown the meat; work in batches.
Medium to medium high heat works best, too high and you’ll burn the meat and the tasty bits on the bottom of the pan.
You can dust the meat in flour but it’s really a bit of a shortcut, better to brown the meat then the flour.
Along the way pour off any excess oil.
Be patient; take the time to evenly brown all sides of each piece of meat. As they brown place them on a plate.

Add a few cups of chopped onions, celery and carrot to the empty pot. An amount roughly equal in volume to the meat will work well. Stir them for a few minutes to heat them through, this brightens their flavours. Add some whole garlic cloves or if you like - go for it and add the whole head! Stir for another few minutes until you can smell the deep aroma of fragrant browning vegetables.
 
Pour a big splash of wine into the empty pot. Add some more, as much as you like, saving just enough to fill your glass. Stir vigorously to dislodge the particles stuck to the bottom. They’re pure flavour! When the bottom is clean return the meat to the pot.

Add enough beef stock, water, wine or beer to cover the meat at least halfway. Add more to cover if you have it, but not so much that the meat is swimming. Add some more wine if you feel like it! Add some salt and pepper, a few bay leafs and a few sprigs of fresh herbs. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid. You may continue cooking on the stove or in the oven. Generally an oven set at 325 degrees will stew perfectly. Either way stew until the meat is tender and can be cut with a spoon. This will take at least an hour and a half.

Towards the end of the cooking add a second batch of vegetables, a bunch of root vegetables cut into chunks. Add enough to equal the amount of meat in the stew pot. Use onions, carrots, potatoes, turnips, parsnips or celery root. Stir them in and then continue cooking until they are tender, another half hour or so. This will give you the best of both worlds. The first veggies will dissolve as the flavour the stew. The second batch will keep their shape and look great in the bowl!