Recipe | Hearty Beef Stew with Red Wine & Garlic Bread

   

   This hearty beef stew is the ultimate comfort food.  Made with stewing beef, red wine and chunky cuts of potato, carrots and celery and seasoned with basil, oregano, parsley and whole crushed garlic cloves--- it is packed with layers of flavor.  It's so easy to prepare and the longer it simmers the better it tastes.
I love to serve it with a crusty, toasted loaf of French bread seasoned with parsley, garlic, pinch of salt, butter and olive oil.  It's a quick and easy accompaniment to the beef stew.

                                           Hearty Beef Stew with Red Wine & Garlic Bread

1/3  cup flour
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/2  teaspoon ground pepper
1 1/2-- 2 pounds beef stew meat
2--3 tablespoons olive oil
1  medium onion chopped
4  cloves garlic crushed
1/2  cup tomato sauce
3  large potatoes cut in cubes
2 carrots cut diagonally
2  celery ribs cut diagonally
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1  teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1  teaspoon fresh parsley chopped
1 carton low sodium beef broth
1/2 cup red wine

Preheat oven 325*F
Place flour in a gallon size zip lock bag.  Add stew beef to bag and cover beef cubes with flour.
In Dutch oven over medium heat  add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add floured beef to pot.  Brown all sides, then place on plate.
Deglaze pan with red wine.  Scraping pot until the bits are loosened off the bottom.
Add beef broth, beef cubes, onions, garlic, tomato sauce, potatoes, carrots, celery, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, basil, oregano to pan.
Bring to boil. Cover and transfer to oven for 1-1 1/2 hours.  Until meat is tender.
Garnish with fresh parsley.

Garlic Bread

1  small loaf of French bread cut in half and cut in half lengthwise.  

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter and 4 tablespoons olive oil in a small sauce pan.

Add 1-2 cloves of minced garlic, a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon dried parsley.  

Simmer until garlic becomes fragrant about 30 seconds to one minute. 

Removed from heat and brush on the bread.  

Wrap bread in aluminum foil and place on a cookie sheet.  

Bake at 350* F for 5 minutes.  

Open foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. 

Allow to cool slightly before slicing and serve warm with stew.

     Due to the big winter storm that has crossed the country  the boys have been shoveling and using the snow thrower to clear the abundance of snow we've received over the past couple of days. I made my Chicken Noodle and Dumpling soup yesterday. They were happy to come in this evening and have a big bowl of beef stew and garlic bread to get warmed up!  

       Puxautawny Phil saw his shadow---- so we're in for another 6 weeks of winter. Haha!!  That means I'll be making a lot of soup!  

                                                        Stay warm and cozy friends!

                                                                    Love,

                                                                        ~Marcie