Beef Stew

This basic recipe is from the South Beach diet. It’s not very different from other Beef Burgundy recipes I’ve made. HINT: I find it to be really time- and effort-consuming to brown three pounds of beef. It always seems to require at least two batches at 7 or 8 minutes each. (If it's three batches and it takes eight minutes, each ... you get the picture. So, when I make this for your dad and me I use a pound or a little more. And keep the rest of the recipe the same. The meat gets really nicely browned in one batch. You get rich broth and great carrots & mushrooms and tomatoes in a delicious sauce. It should feed you three or four times.

Here’s the skinny on browning stuff: The bad thing that can happen is that whatever you’re browning – beef, chicken, fish, veggies, like mushrooms – doesn’t brown. It boils. It steams. If there’s too much oil...if the meat gives up too much juice...if the pieces are too close together so that moisture builds up, you don’t get seared, caramelized crusts. You get soggy. Bleah. So always, always make sure whatever you’re browning is nice and dry, the pan is heated, not too much oil (you can always add more if things start to stick.) Don’t let stuff touch each other. That’s how things start to steam.

Beef Burgundy Serves 8 to 10 Ingredients 3 pounds lean top-round steak trimmed of all visible fat, cut into 1 to 2-inch chunks Salt and black pepper 3 tablespoons canola oil [I use olive oil], divided [Beware the dread divided.] 1 cup dry red wine 2 medium white or yellow onions, chopped [I use one large] 2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth [I use one can and make up the difference with water.] 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes 1 dried bay leaf 5 large carrots, peeled, halved length-wise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 carton (8 ounces) small white button mushrooms, halved or quartered if large Fresh parsley leaves, minced Instructions Pat beef cubes dry with paper towel. (I put a couple of tablespoons of flour in a Ziploc bag and shake the meat in there until it’s coated. Then you know it’s dry! ) In large bowl, toss cubes with salt and pepper. Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in large Dutch oven or heavy soup kettle over medium-high heat. Add half [ or all if you don’t have so much] of the beef in a single layer; brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer seared beef to platter. Stir wine into empty pot, scraping up any browned bits that have stuck to pan. Pour off any remaining wine and beef bits into beef platter. Stir remaining 1 tablespoon oil and onions into pot. Cook 5 minutes, until onions are golden, stirring often. Return seared beef and any accumulated cooking liquid to pot. Stir in broth, tomatoes, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes. Add carrots, mushrooms and up to 1/2 cup water if liquid is not covering ingredients. Cover, cook 45 minutes, until meat and vegetables are tender. Ladle hot soup into serving bowls; garnish with parsley. Tip from the South Beach Cookbook: Adding wine after searing the beef loosens the browned bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the pan. This technique, called deglazing, further increases the rich flavor of the stew.