This stew is very thick and hearty, jam-packed with large chunks of veggies and beef. The taste is indescribably good. As Amanda says, “….prepare to think your taste buds have died and gone to heaven!” It is a complete meal on its own, with the only good addition being a loaf of crusty bread that you can use to soak up every last drop of the juices.

It really isn’t difficult to prepare, either. There is a lot of waiting time between stages, though. Just be patient with it. Sit back and enjoy a glass of wine while you wait. It will be worth it, I promise!

 

INGREDIENTS

For The Marinade

1 large onion quartered

2 carrots peeled and halved

2 ribs celery halved

5 cloves garlic smashed

1 bottle Pinot Noir wine (750ml)

3 leaves fresh bay

 

For The Stew

4 lbs. beef chuck roast cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil to coat pan

½ cup all-purpose flour

8 slices of bacon diced

2 cups frozen pearl onions

2 carrots cut into 1-inch chunks

2 ribs celery diced

2 cloves garlic finely minced

¼ cup tomato paste

2 cups Pinot Noir wine reserved marinade

4 cups beef stock plus more as needed

3 leaves bay

5 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 lb. pound cremini mushrooms, halved

1 lb. red potatoes, halved or fingerling potatoes, whole

1 tsp salt (plus more, to taste)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

For The Marinade: Combine the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, and wine in a large bowl or container. Add the beef, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.

 

For the stew:

Remove the beef from the marinade. Strain the veggies and bay leaves from the wine and discard, but reserving the wine.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a large, oven-proof, wide pan or Dutch oven with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Season the beef generously with salt and toss with flour. Add the flour-coated beef to the hot pan, but be sure not to crowd the pan, so you will need to work in batches.

Brown the meat well on all sides and remove to a plate.

Add the bacon and cook until it gets brown and crispy. Toss in the onions, carrots, celery, and season with salt. Cook the mixture for 8 to 10 minutes or until softened. Add in the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add 2 cups reserved wine and the beef. Stir to combine and cook until the wine has reduced by 1/2. Add the beef stock to just cover the surface of the beef. Toss in the bay leaves and thyme. Season with salt, if needed. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pot and put in the preheated oven.

Cook the beef 2 hours, checking occasionally to add more stock if needed. During the last 30 minutes of cooking time, add the mushrooms, and potatoes.

Remove the pan from the oven, and skim off any excess grease from the surface. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

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Quick Tip:  Make sure that you don’t discard your marinade! In most recipes, you would never use a marinade that has been in contact with raw meat, due to possible bacterial contamination. This is one exception to that rule. I imagine the rationale is that since it is a wine, which is very acidic, and will be thoroughly heated over an extended period of time, any bacteria will be killed in the process.

Recipe and image courtesy of Amanda at The Chunky Chef