Beef Stew

Jeremiah picked out Pioneer Woman's Beef Stew for us to try. We enjoyed it, but it turned out more like beef soup. Here's where I think I went wrong...

- She includes "1 can or bottle of beer" in her ingredients. We bought a bottle, but I think it may have been too much liquid.

- I'm still working out the kinks of my stove and oven. I believe my big burner doesn't work well below the medium setting, so I feel like it didn't simmer long enough (or at a high enough temperature) to cook down the liquids.

- I also was rushing a bit to get it done, so it probably could have used another 30-45 minutes of cook time.

Regardless, we liked it enough that I will make it again this winter and hope that it turns out more stew-like.

Beef Stew
*from Pioneer Woman's Food from my Frontier cookbook

3 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
2 lbs. beef stew meat
1 med. onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can or bottle of beer
4 c. beef broth
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt (Can I just insert here that every time I see tsp. I think of Sleeping Beauty and when the fairies are making her birthday cake and she says, "Tsp? What's a tsp?") 
Freshly ground black pepper 
4 new potatoes, quartered
4 carrots, unpeeled, roughly sliced
2 T. all-purpose flour
Minced parley, for garnish, option (I didn't use this) 
Crusty bread, for serving

Start by heating the olive oil and butter in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Throw in the stew meat and quickly brown it on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove meat to a clean plate and set aside. Throw the onion into the pot, then reduce the heat to low. Stir the onion around to cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Then throw in the garlic and stir it around to cook for a minute. 

Pour in the beer, beef broth, worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, paprika, sugar, salt, and pepper. Finally, return the meat to the pot, cover it, and simmer the stew over very low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender. If the liquid level gets too low, add 1 to 2 cups hot water as needed. 

Add the potatoes and carrots to the pot. Stir them in and continue simmering for 30 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender. To thicken the stew, remove 1 cup of the cooking liquid and whisk in the flour. (When I did this, I just got a bunch of flour clumps :/ I'm guessing maybe I shouldn't have just dumped it in, but poured and whisked slowly. Another pitfall I believe. ) Pour the flour mixture into the pot and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until the stew is very thick. Add parsley at the end if desired. Dish it up and serve it with crusty bread and a very, very hearty appetite. (I served it with some garlic bread!) 

To life... full of cool weather and warm stew!