Classic Beef Stew

I hope everyone is keeping warm because here on the East coast it’s freezing. This is the perfect weather for comfort food and crock pot use. Beef stew is a classic and everyone just loves the taste and how tender the meat gets. You can never go wrong with this dish. It’s also great for big crowds. I love to top it with some Parmesan cheese to kick it up a notch. Enjoy and stay warm.

Ingredients

2 lbs chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and diced into 1-1/2 inch cubes (you can find cubed chunks at the supermarket)

2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 medium celery stalks, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup tomato paste

3 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp herbs de provence or Italian seasoning

12 baby red potatoes, cut in half

2 cups baby carrots

1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch (depending on how thick you like it)

1/2 cup peas, which I ran out of but we love it in our stew

NOTE: you can purchase celery, onions, potatoes and carrots already cut and ready for use at the supermarket

Preparation:

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Season meat to taste. Sear in skillet until browned. Pour meat into the crockpot.

Add remaining 1/2 Tbsp oil to oil in skillet reduce burner to medium. Saute onions and celery 3 minutes, add garlic saute 30 seconds longer then add in tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.

Pour 1 cup beef broth into skillet along with Worcestershire, herbs. Add potatoes and carrots over beef layer in slow cooker, then pour broth mixture in skillet into slow cooker along with remaining 2 cups beef broth. Season lightly with salt and pepper (add more to taste at the end). Cover and cook on low heat for 7 hours.

In a small bowl whisk together cornstarch with 1 cup of stew broth until smooth. Pour into slow cooker and gently stir, cover and cook on high heat for 20 – 25 minutes until thickened slightly. Stir in peas cook for another 5 minutes. Serve warm garnished with parmesan cheese and parsley if desired.