Provancal Beef Stew

December 18, 2010

Provencal Beef Stew, in “Stews” by Jenna Holst, pg 12

This is one of my favorite beef stew/soup recipes. To make it soupy, omit the flour but otherwise cook it according to recipe.

1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
all purpose flour for dusting the meat (I used garbanzo bean flour)
2 ½ pounds beef round or chuck, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
2 ½ T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes (or 1 15 oz can)
2-inch strip of orange zest
¼ cup frsh flat-leaf parlsey, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 springs fresh Thyme
1 ½ cups full bodied red wine
½ cup beef broth or water

Mix the flour, 1 tsp of the salt and pepper together and dust the meat. Heat the 1 T of the oil to hot in a large (stew) pan. Add the meat and brown on all sides. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

Add the onions, celery and carrots and sauté 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, orange zest, parsley, bay leaf, thyme and remaining salt and cook for 2 minutes longer.

Pour in the wine and broth. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any cooked on bits.

Return the meat to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.