Thinking about Sunday lunch, there are so many traditional recipes that it’s really hard to choose our favorite. Some people are inseparably attached to lasagna or cannelloni, while others struggle between Neapolitan and Bolognese ragu. But among the main courses, there is no contest, beef stew is the winner! Its slow cooking, the few essential fragrances needed to make it so good, make it a recipe that no one can help but love. Like all traditional recipes, it requires a lot of patience for a great result. So all you have to do is put the pot on the stove and forget about it, meanwhile you can dedicate yourself to some tasty side dishes like roasted vegetables, delicious and genuine. So by lunchtime everything will be ready and you can finally enjoy beef stew to make your Sunday lunch special. But now we ask you, among the first courses proposed, which one will you choose?
Beef stew
INGREDIENTS
Beef (cap of the priest) 1kg
Beef broth (you may need slightly less or more) 2.5l
Onions 1
Carrots 1
Celery 1 rib
Red wine 1 glass
Extra virgin olive oil 4 tablespoons
Butter 30g
Flour 0030g
Rosemary 1 sprig
Thyme 1 sprig
Sage 3 leaves
Black pepper to taste
Fine salt to taste
Preparation: 20 min
Cooking: 2 h 20 min
Servings for: 4 people
Cost: Medium
Note from the editor: follow the recipe instructions for the amount of broth to use.
PREPARATION
To prepare beef stew, start by putting a pot of beef broth on the stove and keep it warm (you will need about 2-2.5 liters, but you can prepare it in abundance and freeze what you don’t use). Meanwhile, continue by cleaning celery, carrot, and onion and chopping the vegetables to obtain cubes of 5-6 mm. Tie together thyme, sage, and rosemary with a piece of kitchen string. Finally, cut the meat into cubes about the size of 4-5 cm.
In a saucepan, heat the butter and oil. As soon as the bottom is hot, add the chopped celery, carrot, and onion and let it flavor on low heat for about ten minutes; if necessary, you can add a little hot broth. When the chopped vegetables are well wilted, add the meat, raise the flame, and let all the pieces seal well for about ten minutes, season with salt and pepper, and then sprinkle with the flour, letting it toast for a couple of minutes: be very careful because it could burn, so stir often. Deglaze with red wine and let it evaporate completely, then add the fragrant bundle and cover with hot beef broth. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for at least 2 hours, taking care to stir occasionally and check if it needs adding more broth to prevent it from drying out excessively. At the end of cooking, remove the fragrant bundle and make sure the beef stew is properly salted. At this point, all you have to do is serve your beef stew!
Storage
Beef stew can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days. If you prefer and have used very fresh ingredients, you can also freeze the stew once cooked.
Tip
The hungriest can add potatoes and peas to the stew to make it even more substantial! The ideal cuts of meat are the shoulder and the real one because they are rich in fat veins that will melt during cooking, making the meat very tender. If you wish, you can replace red wine with a good fruity or spicy beer. As everyone knows, beef stew is much better the next day, so… you have a good reason to prepare a little more! SPECIAL: The best Slow Cookers on the market, discover the one that suits you.