Beef Stew

By Andrew Zimmern

Living in Minnesota, I know a thing or two about cold-weather comfort food. This one-pot rock star beef stew is in heavy rotation all season long at my house, it’ll warm you from the inside out. This is “food with a hug” at its best. On the technical side, it’s simple. Resist the temptation to fussy it up until you’ve made it a few times, then you can do what you want with it.

Watch Andrew make the recipe:

Andrew Zimmern Cooks: Beef Stew

Ingredients

3 pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bottle of dry red wine (I like Rhone from Guigal)
Bouquet garni made of 3 thyme sprigs, 3 parsley sprigs and 1 bay leaf, tied in cheesecloth
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons canola oil
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 cups rich chicken stock
10 new potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 fennel bulb, sliced
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon parsley, minced
1 tablespoon dill, minced

Instructions

SERVINGS: 6

In a large non-reactive bowl, marinate the beef, garlic, wine and bouquet garni together overnight.

Pour the marinated beef mixture into a colander set over a bowl to collect the wine. Reserve the liquid, garlic and herb bundle.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Season the beef with salt and black pepper. In a preheated large enameled cast-iron pot, heat half of the oil until shimmering. Add one-third of the beef and cook over moderately high heat until browned all over, about 5 minutes; reduce the heat if the meat browns too quickly. Transfer the meat to a plate. Repeat with the remaining oil and beef.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the casserole. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat. Leave onions undisturbed for the first 4 or 5 minutes, then stir occasionally until softened and browned for an additional 5 minutes. Add the browned beef, reserved garlic and bouquet garni back to the casserole along with the reserved wine. Bring the stew to a boil. Lower to maintain a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until wine is reduced by half. Add the stock, and bring back to a simmer. Cover and cook in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender.

Remove the pot from the oven and gently stir the potatoes, fennel and carrots into the stew. Bring to a boil on the stove, season with salt and place back in the oven uncovered for about 25 minutes longer, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the Dijon and vinegar; season the stew with salt and white pepper. Discard the bouquet garni. Stir in the minced parsley and dill. Serve.

NOTE: If sauce needs further reducing, do so on the stove top at a simmer.