I mentioned last week I would talk a little about how I cook with red wine.  I don’t recall ever using red wine for anything that didn’t have some sort of beef product.

I frequently use red wine to make a delicious au jus, just brown the beef and deglaze the pan with red wine, some crushed garlic.  Boil down till half add some salt and pepper to taste.

My husband refers to this beef stew as my “quick one” which actually kind of irritates me because though it cooks relatively quicker than most, it still has the same amount of prep and chopping. Maybe one of these days I will have him just whip this up!

3 pounds of stewing beef (trim and cut to 1 inch pieces)

Kosher salt and Fresh cracked black pepper

Olive oil to brown the beef

3 Cups diced yellow onion (about 2 medium)

3 large cloves garlic, mined

2 bay leaves

2 Tsp dried thyme

3 TBS flour

2 Cups red wine

2 Cups water

Carrots

Potatoes

Turnip (or whatever veggie you like if you don’t like turnip)

Adjust rack to lower middle of oven, pre-heat to 450’F

Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy based Dutch oven or like.  Shoot for a 9 to 11 inch in diameter pot that can also go into the oven at high temperature

Salt and Pepper beef and brown all over – the brown is where all the flavor comes from

Work in batches, you do not want to crowd the pot.

Once all the beef is browned, set aside in bowl to capture all the liquid as you will add it all back in the pot.

Add the onions and garlic to the pot; season with salt and pepper; if it looks dry add more oil a tablespoon at a time.  Cook till they are softened about 5 minutes.  Add the thyme and bay leaf, stir cooking for about 30 seconds; add the flour and stewing liquid (wine and water).  Return the beef and drippings to the pot.  Cover tightly and cook – what cuts down on the cooking time is that you are going to use tinfoil to get as close to the beef as you can.  Lay a sheet of heavy-duty foil over the pot, and being careful press down (preferably using a towel) so it just about touches the stew.  Press against the sides of the pot; crimp the foil around the rim for a tight seal.  Turn up the stovetop until you hear the juices bubbling; add the pot to the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Cook the veggies separate; I tend to boil all three together to save on dirtying dishes, you can sauté or steam if you would rather.  You know how most beef stew recipes have you cook all ingredients together for several hours. The veggies tend to lose their identity.  Cooking them separate and adding them later to meld they truly keep their flavor. It is a nice change you should try it.

Remove the pot from the oven, carefully remove the foil and stir in the veggies.  Cover again with the foil and lid; remember the pot and cover are super-hot.  Let stand so the meat rests and the veggies meld with the stew about 15 minutes.  If needed you might need to add a little  more water or beef stock if it is too thin.  I just made this today and I had to add more liquid for our liking.