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my best beef stew

Ingredients For my best beef stew

  • DAY 1
  • 4 lb
    chuck roast, cut in 2 inch thick pieces
  • 1 Tbsp
    salt
  • 1 tsp
    pepper, freshly ground
  • 2 c
    fresh sprigs of thyme
  • 3 c
    onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 c
    carrots, thinly sliced
  • 3
    garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1/4 c
    olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp
    red wine vinegar
  • DAY 2
  • 1 Tbsp
    olive oil
  • 4
    italian plum tomatoes, chopped
  • 2
    bay leaves
  • 1/4 c
    water
  • 1 c
    beef stock
  • chianti to cover
  • DAY 4
  • SLURRY
  • 1 Tbsp
    flour
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp
    beef stock
  • hot sauce

How To Make my best beef stew

  • 1
    DAY 1 Remove surrounding fat from meat and cut into pieces according to its natural muscle separations, trimming as you go, finally cut into 1-1/2\" chunks. Toss meat into an enameled or stainless casserole with all DAY 1 items listed above. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  • 2
    DAY 2 Remove meat chunks from casserole.
  • 3
    Transfer vegetables and marinade to a medium frying pan and cook over moderate heat until onions are translucent.
  • 4
    Meanwhile set a large frying pan over moderately high heat and add the oil.
  • 5
    Cook meat in batches until browned being careful not to crowd meat.
  • 6
    Return meat to casserole and strew the cooked vegetables and marinade on top along with tomatoes and bay leaves.
  • 7
    Discard fat from pan in which meat was browned, deglaze with water, add to casserole.
  • 8
    Add beef stock and wine to almost submerge the ingriedients.
  • 9
    DAY 3 Bring stew to a simmer on stove top.
  • 10
    Then, set it covered in a 300 oven so that it barely bubbles.
  • 11
    It will take about 2-1/2 hours to become fork tender. Cool and refrigerate overnight.
  • 12
    DAY 4 Remove from refigerator and skim fat from the surface and discard.
  • 13
    Reheat the stew and then strain hot cooking liquid into a nonreactive sacuepan, pressing on the vegetables which will have disentegrated.
  • 14
    Taste sauce for strength and seasoning.
  • 15
    Boil down quickly if it seems weak; you should have 2-1/2 cups.
  • 16
    If the sauce seems too liquid you will need to add a slurry or flour and beef stock dribbled with hot sauce.
  • 17
    Once you have checked for seasoning again, the stew is ready to serve.
  • 18
    If you are not serving right away, cool the stew and press pastic wrap on it and refrigerate. Rewarm slowly before serving.
  • 19
    You might finish the stew with two dozen small braised onions, several large spoonfuls of sauteed mushrooms and two cups or so of braised cut carrots, turnips, plus fresh peas and green beans, simmering together briefly before serving.

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