Savory Beef Stew

It's getting cold outside, and we've already had a few snow showers. Really, the only thing I love about this time of year is the food. Apples, pumpkin, cider, hot chocolate, and mostly, soups and stews. I crave warmth. Stew provides it!

This beef stew started from a need to use leftover beef. The flavors on the roasted beef were perfect in the stew. In the recipe below, I've added the seasonings to regular stew beef instead of making an entire roast like I did. Stew Beef can be found in grocery stores in the meat department. It's pre-cut chunks, ready to go!  The stew can be slow cooked in a heavy stock pot in the oven, or in your crockpot.

Savory Beef Stew
The Double Dipped Life

For the meat:
1 1/2 lb beef stew meat
2 teas sea salt
1 Tb olive oil
1 teas ground pepper
1 1/2 teas oregano
2 teas dried basil
1/2 teas crushed red pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tb Olive Oil

Season the stew meat with sea salt, cover, and place in refrigerator for a few hours, or overnight.

Remove meat from the refrigerator, and use paper towels to dry the excess moisture from the meat. In a large bowl, mix the meat and all the above seasonings.

In a large stockpot, heat 1 Tb olive oil. Add the meat, and sear on all sides, until nicely browned, but not cooked through.

Add in the soup ingredients:

2 cups beef broth
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 can (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes, undrained
8 oz baby carrots, chopped into bite-sized pieces
12 small red potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 bay leaf
2 Tb Worcestershire sauce
4 Tb hot sauce 
water pr stock as needed if stew is too thick

Mix all the ingredients together.  Place in a 300 degree oven for 5 hours, keep on the stove top for 2 hours, or throw everything into a crockpot and cook low for 6 hours, or high for 4 hours.

Serve with warm, crusty bread and Enjoy!