Recipes + Tips

Hearty Beef Stew

Nothing says fall like a big bowl of hearty stew! This beef stew comes together so quickly, but your dinner guests will think you spent all day in the kitchen! *NOTE* This recipe calls for fresh herbs. You can use any variety you choose, these are just a suggestions. You can also substitute with dried herbs. Start with about 1/2 tbs. each and then add more to taste

Ingredients:

1 package beef stew meat (between 1-2 lbs)
2 tbs. ghee or avocado oil (something with a higher smoke point), divided
1 onion, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tsp. sea salt, divided
1 tsp. black pepper, divided
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of thyme
1 sprig oregano
1 dried bay leaf
1 tbs. dijon mustard
2 tbs. balsamic vinegar
4 cups beef broth or bone broth
1 tbs. arrowroot starch, corn starch or all purpose flour
1 tbs. water

Directions:

Remove stew meat from the packaging, cut up any larger pieces to desired size (I cut mine to about 1 inch cubes) and blot dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle lightly with 1 tsp. sea salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Cut a small piece of cheesecloth and fold it around the herbs. Tie with kitchen twine to make an herb bouquet. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat 1 tbs. ghee over medium high heat. In rounds, place meat into the hot ghee. The key to getting a good sear is both blotting the meat dry and not overcrowding the pan. So you’ll want to do this in about 2-3 rounds. Brown meat on all sides, roughly 1-2 min per side. Remove meat. Reduce heat to medium and add in remaining ghee. Toss in onions and saute until onions begin to caramelize. Add in carrots, celery, potatoes  and garlic and remaining sea salt and pepper and saute for one minute more. Add in balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan. Add in the mustard and stir to incorporate. Add the meat back in, the herb bouquet and the bone broth. Heat to boiling and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes to allow the vegetables to cook and the meat to become more tender. In a small bowl whisk together arrowroot starch and water to make a slurry. Remove the lid to the stew, stir in the slurry and cook, uncovered for about 5 minutes more or until the stew thickens to desired consistency. Enjoy with crusty bread or your favorite crackers!