Lolly's Beef & Vegetable Stew

I have been craving beef stew for weeks. Today was a gray, semi-rainy day and I knew it was the perfect opportunity to cook a warm and comforting pot of beef and vegetable stew.

I added a little red wine to deglaze the Dutch oven. Of course, you can use extra beef stock or water if you prefer.

1/4 cup olive oil

2 lbs. stew meat, cut into bite sized chunks

1/2 cup self-rising flour, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large yellow onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup red wine

4 cups beef stock

1 cup water

3 ribs celery, thinly sliced (including some of the leaves if you have those)

4 medium carrots, sliced

4 - 5 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 bay leaf

1/2 t. dried thyme

2 T. Worcestershire sauce 

1 cup frozen green peas

fresh parsley, chopped

In a large Dutch oven, over medium heat, pour in olive oil.

In a shallow plate, place seasoned flour and toss a few pieces of the stew meat at a time and then drop them into the Dutch oven to begin to brown. Continue flouring and adding the meat to the pot until all the meat as browned.

Add onions and garlic and let cook, stirring ever minute or two, until onions begin to soften.

Add the wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Next add the beef stock and water.

Now it's time to add the vegetables, bay leaf, thyme and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Let the stew cook, stirring over 30 minutes or so, over very low heat for a few hours until the vegetables are cooked. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if needed.

About 15 minutes before serving add the peas and remove the bay leaf. When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and top with chopped parsley.