Recipe
Classic Beef Stew
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 2 hr 30 min
- Total
- 3 hr
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
Method
Step 1: Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with 2 teaspoons of the salt and the pepper.
Step 2: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in three batches, turning until well browned on at least two sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Add more oil between batches as needed and transfer each batch to a bowl.
Tip: Leave space between the pieces. If they touch, they steam and turn grey.
Step 3: Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, celery, carrots, parsnips and the remaining salt and cook, scraping up the browned bits, until the onion softens, about 6 minutes.
Step 4: Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until the paste darkens. Sprinkle over the flour and thyme and stir for 30 seconds.
Step 5: Pour in the broth, water, Worcestershire and balsamic, then add the bay leaves and return the beef and its juices. Bring to a boil, lower to a gentle simmer, partially cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
Step 6: Add the potatoes and simmer uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and a piece of beef breaks apart easily with a spoon. Remove the bay leaves, taste for salt and stir in the parsley.
Tips
- If the stew is too thin at the end, simmer it uncovered for another 10 minutes or mash a few pieces of potato into the broth.
- Buy a whole chuck roast and cut it yourself. Pre-cut stew meat is often a mix of cuts that cook at different rates.
Variations
- Replace 1 cup of the broth with red wine, added after the tomato paste, for a deeper, slightly tangy stew.
- Slow cooker: brown the beef and vegetables as above, then cook everything except the parsley on low for 8 hours.
Storage and make-ahead
Keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days and freezes for up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stove, adding water if it has thickened. The flavour improves after a night in the fridge.
