food52.com
Secret Ingredient Beef Stew
I created this recipe for a dinner party I was co-hosting with my sister. I took a lot of steps to make the stew as savory as humanly possible. These steps included: carefully browning the meat; adding great proportions of veggies, including mushrooms and leeks; and stirring in a surprise ingredient: anchovies. The result was delicious, and I served it over buttery, parslied orzo and accompanied by crusty bread.
Prep
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Cook
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Total
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Serves
8 to 10
Instructions
- 01
Season the beef with salt and pepper on both sides. In a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or large pot over high heat, brown the meat in batches, adding more oil as needed. Transfer to a plate.
- 02
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, celery, carrots, leeks, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, until softened. Stir in the tomato paste and anchovies and cook to melt the anchovies and combine.
- 03
Return the beef to the pot along with any accumulated juices. Add the wine, tomatoes with juice (breaking them up against the side of the pot as you go), and vinegar and bring to a boil. Add the broth to cover (you may need a bit more than 3 cups). Add the bay leaf and thyme; season with salt and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium-low heat, partially covered, for 2 to 3 hours, until the meat is tender. Let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate.
- 04
When cool, skim off the fat from the top. Reheat over low heat, letting the stew simmer for 30 to 45 minutes before serving.
- 05
Stir in half of the parsley, then garnish with the remaining parsley.
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