Red Wine Beef Stew with Potatoes and Green Beans
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Basically any decent red wine will do for this stew. I like using Burgundy or Cabernet Sauvignon - but the basic rule is that as long as you would be happy drinking it, you would be happy cooking with it.
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds beef chuck for stew, cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
4 medium carrots, peeled, halved and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 small onions, diced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 (14-1/2-ounce) cans beef or chicken broth, or use homemade
2 cups dry red wine
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 handfuls green beans, ends trimmedSeason the beef cubes lightly with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy 6-quart pot over medium heat. As soon as the butter starts to turn brown, add half the beef and raise the heat to high. At first, the beef will give off some liquid, but once that evaporates, the beef will start to brown. Cook, turning the beef cubes on all sides until the pieces are evenly browned as possible, about 5 or 6 minutes after the water has boiled off. If the pan starts to get too brown at any point, just turn down the heat a little. Scoop the beef into a bowl and brown the rest of the beef the same way using the remaining butter.
Scoop out the second batch of beef, then add the carrots and onions and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook until the onion starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour until it has been worked into the vegetables and you can't see it any more. Pour in the chicken or beef broth, wine, and crushed tomatoes, and toss in the rosemary. Slide the beef back into the pot and bring the liquid to a boil.
Turn down the heat so the liquid is just breaking a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook for about 50 minutes. Stir the stew several times while simmering so it cooks evenly and nothing sticks to the bottom.
Stir the potatoes into the stew, cover the pot completely, and cook until the beef and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally, about another 45 minutes. Add the beans and cook for another 5 minutes, until the green beans turn bright green and are cooked through but still have a nice snap to them.
Makes about 10 servings
NOTES - You can make this stew completely in advance, as far as 2 days ahead of time, except for the green beans, add them before serving using the cooking time above. Just refrigerate it and reheat over low heat. You might have to stir in a cup or so of water because the stew will have thickened up.
Rather than oil, I like to use butter to brown the beef because it adds richness to the stew and makes for a creamier gravy. But you can substitute any type of oil, if you want.