Those of you who have been reading my blog for any length of time know that I'm on a quest to find the best beef stew. In fact, I've been on that quest since my first trip to Ireland in the summer of 2004 when I had the most delicious Guinness Stew at a tiny little roadside pub in the Wicklow Mountains. While I've made some great stews during my replication attempts, nothing really did the trick. So, I decided to try my hand at a regular old beef stew.
I wish I could tell you that this is an old family recipe, passed down from generation to generation. Unfortunately, I can't. It's a Paula Deen recipe. My family doesn't have a stew recipe - in fact, I don't remember ever eating stew growing up. Who would've thought - the family that serves practically everything with gravy doesn't make stew? I have a hunch this will become ours.
Beef Stew
Recipe by Paula Deen, adapted
Serves 6
Prep Time - 5-10 minutes
Cook Time - 2 hrs, 15 min
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 - 2 lbs stew meat
1-2 TBSP vegetable oil
2 cups beef broth
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
dash allspice
2 ribs celery, diced
baby carrots
potatoes
DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a dutch oven or stock pot. Brown the meat. Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours.
Remove bay leaves. Add celery, carrots, and potatoes. Cover and cook about 30-40 minutes or until veggies are tender.
If stew is too dry, add more broth. For a thicker gravy, combine 1/4 cup cold water with 2 TBSP cornstarch and add to boiling stew. Cook until the gravy gets to your desired thickness. Serve with thick bread.
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