February is for.......

Food Network Recipes!
I decided that all my soup recipes for February will be from the Food Network. A little alliteration is a good thing!

Today's Soup: Beef Stew (I made a few alterations based on several reviews of the recipe-see link for original recipe).

FoodTV Show: How to Boil Water (Tyler Florence episode)

Serves: 6-8 (with leftovers)

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil, for searing
2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, cut into 8ths
7 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, or to cover
5 c. low sodium beef broth
4 c. vegetable broth
1 1/2 c. red wine (I used Merlot)
1/4 c. worcestershire sauce
6 sprigs fresh parsley
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 fresh bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds medium sized red potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
6 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
7 canned whole, peeled tomatoes, lightly crushed

1. Heat a large Dutch oven (stove top/oven safe-cast iron works great) with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan (add more if necessary). Season beef cubes generously with salt and pepper. Coat them with flour and add half of them to the pan.
Saute half the meat, uncovered, stirring only occasionally, until well-browned, about 6 minutes. It should look like this:

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate. Repeat with the remaining beef.

2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

3. Return to the pot to the stove and melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Scatter a little additional flour over veggies (lightly coat) and cook stirring until lightly toasted.

4. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute more. Add the reserved beef. Add the wine, worcestershire sauce and broths, and bring to a simmer. Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaves together with a piece of kitchen twine and add the bundle to the pot.
Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook the meat until just tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (This can also be done on the stove at a low simmer.)

5. Remove pot from the oven. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid with a spoon or ladle. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, and the tomatoes, and bring to a simmer on top of the stove.
Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens and the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour (mine took an additional 20 minutes). Remove and discard the herb bundle. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Divide among bowls and serve immediately.

Mmmmmm...stew!
It was worth the wait!
DH said it was the BEST stew he'd ever had!!

Notes:

• This was time intensive, but oh so worth it if you can make it this way. If not, after browning meat and sauteing onion and garlic, I'd dump it in the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients and cook until potatoes/carrots are done.
• I served it with some potato rolls, but it would taste really good in a bread bowl.

Recipe Rescue from the episode suggested:
• If your stew is too thin, remove some of the liquid and reduce it. When this liquid thickens up, add it back into the stew.
  
• If your stew is too salty, add more water.
  
• You can store beef stew in the fridge for 3-4 days.
  
• Put leftovers in a pie plate, cover with some pie dough, bake and have beef pot pie.