We don’t cook a lot of meat here but recently had access to quality beef without hormones or antibiotics so I bought quite a bit to put in my freezer. Amongst my beef packages was some stew beef. This recipe isn’t considered conventional to some of my friends but it turned out quite wonderfully. It was so delicious served over garlicky mash potatoes. If you make this recipe, think ahead so you can marinate your meat the day before you cook it!
I’m really disappointed that my access to that beef is gone and it will likely be a long time before I get to make this meal again!
French Beef Stew with Red Wine
- 3 lb Stew Beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
- Salt and freshly ground Pepper
- 1 bottle (750-ml) Red Wine (Bordeaux, Cote du Rhone, Vacqueyras, Gigondas, or Minervois are best)
- 3 sprigs fresh Thyme
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 3 Carrots, cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 1 Orange, cut into 8 wedges
- 1 large Onion, cut into rings
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- Olive Oil
- 1 6-oz can Tomato Paste
- 4 1/2 cups Water
- Season meat with salt and pepper on all sides. Place meat in a ziplock bag with wine, thyme, bay leaves, carrots, orange, onion, and garlic. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 12 hours, and preferably 24 hours.
- Heat some olive oil over medium heat in a large stockpot. Remove the meat from the marinade and brown the pieces in the oil on all sides. Pour the marinade over the meat and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, skimming any foam from the surface.
- Lower the heat to a simmer. Stir in the tomato paste and water. Cover, and let stew on low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- 6 Russet Potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- Salt
- 8 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- Place cubed potatoes in a large saucepan.
- Cover with cold water, salt liberally, and bring to a boil. Boil for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, skimming starch foam from top occasionally and checking to keep from boiling over. Lower heat if necessary.
- Drain potatoes and set aside.
- Return saucepan to low heat and add garlic and heavy cream. Heat until garlic is fragrant and cream begins to simmer.
- Use an immersion blender or regular blender or even just a masher to blend potatoes and garlicky cream together until it becomes a smooth puree. Add water or skim milk as necessary to even out texture.
This looks so great! I use to love stew, and, with the availability of ethical, healthier meat options, have wanted to start eating meat again. Right now it is appealing in theory, but when I’ve made something meat based for our family, I can’t seem to get over my feelings about eating flesh, no matter how humanely it was raised/dispatched. Most of the time I’m quite satisfied eating the way I do, but every now and then, I feel like I’m missing out.
That’s a shame! I’ve always enjoyed most meat but then didn’t like the way I felt if I ate it, especially often. Then since I stopped eating it and then eating it only sparingly it’s much easier for me to get picky and only eat it when it’s better quality. I like eating meat every once and a while now because it can be so yummy! I knew once we moved more north we’d be eating a bit more and we do. Quite a few of our friends hunt and we’ll likely do a little ourselves when we move more inland.