Wintertime Braised Beef Stew Recipes

ULTIMATE BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300˚ F.
• Heat the oil in a large (11- to 12-inch) Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside.
• Meanwhile, season the short ribs all over with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Brown half the meat in the Dutch oven over medium heat, turning occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until browned on all sides. Transfer the meat to a bowl and brown the second batch. (Don't cook them all in one batch or they won't brown!) Transfer the second batch to the bowl and set aside.
• Off the heat, add the Cognac and 1/3 cup of the wine to the pot, scraping up any browned bits, then simmer over medium heat for one minute. Add the onions and fennel and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
• Stir the tomatoes and tomato paste into the vegetables. Add the remaining 2/3 cup of wine, the beef broth, the seared meat (and juices), 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and bake for 1 1/4 hours, checking occasionally to be sure the liquid is simmering.
• Degrease the stew, if necessary. Stir in the carrots and potatoes, cover and bake for one hour longer, until the vegetables and meat are very tender when tested with a fork. Just before serving, stir in the peas and pancetta, taste for seasonings and serve hot in large, shallow bowls.

GOOD EATS BEEF STEW

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and dried herbs. Set aside.
• Season the short ribs with 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt. Place a large griddle over medium-high heat and once a drop of water bounces off, sear the meat until browned on all sides. Once browned, remove the meat to the bowl with the paste and toss to coat. Transfer to a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and seal tightly. Place the package into a metal pan and put into a cold oven on the middle rack. Set the oven to 250 degrees F and cook for 4 hours.
• Remove the meat from the oven and carefully poke a hole in the pack while holding it over a heatproof container. Drain the liquid into the container and place it into the refrigerator to cool enough so that the fat separates from the rest of the liquid, approximately 1 hour. After 1 hour, transfer the liquid to the freezer and keep there until the fat cap has solidified, approximately 1 hour. Allow the ribs to sit at room temperature while the liquid is cooling or if serving the next day, place in the refrigerator until ready to finish.
• Retrieve the liquid from the refrigerator and remove the fat cap that has formed on top. Measure out 1 tablespoon of the fat and reserve the rest for another time. Place the fat into a large saucier and place over medium heat. Once the fat has melted add the onion along with the remaining teaspoon of salt and stir to separate the onions into rings. Allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes along with a pinch of black pepper and stir to combine. Next, add the liquid reserved from the meat and stir. Cover tightly and decrease the heat to low so that no heat is escaping the lid. Cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
• Meanwhile, cut the meat away from the bone, removing the connective tissue and discarding. Once the potatoes are tender, uncover and set the meat atop the vegetables. Cover and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the parsley.

BRAISED BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot.
• Season the flour with salt and pepper.
• Coat the beef cubes in the flour mixture to coat, shaking off excess flour.
• Brown the beef very well on all sides, then remove to a plate.
• Add the garlic, onion, and chili flakes to the pot, cooking 3 or 4 minutes, until soft, adding more oil if necessary.
• Add the tomato paste; stir with the onion/garlic mixture for 2 minutes.
• Stir in the beef broth and wine to the cooked onions, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
• Add the beef back into the pot with, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and the Dijon mustard (if using).
• Mix well, and bring to a simmer.
• Simmer, uncovered on top of the stove, or in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 1 hour, or until the meat is fork-tender.
• Add the carrots and potatoes.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook for 30 minutes more, or until veggies are tender.

WINTER BEEF STEW

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook meat and chopped onion in oil over medium-high heat until meat is browned on all sides. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Add the potatoes, carrots, quartered onions and mushrooms. , In a small bowl, combine the broth, apple juice, tomato paste, parsley, bay leaves, salt, thyme and pepper. Pour over meat., Cover and bake at 325° for 2 hours. Stir. Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes longer or until stew reaches desired thickness. Discard bay leaves; sprinkle with bacon.

RED WINE BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Season the meat with salt and pepper, place in a large bowl, and toss with the flour.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or wide-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Cook the meat, in batches, until well browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes, transferring the pieces to a plate as they are browned. Pour off and discard any drippings from the pot.
• Add the tomato paste, wine, broth, onion, bay leaves, thyme, and 2 of the carrots and bring to a boil. Return the meat and any juices back to the pot (the meat should be barely submerged in liquid), cover, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours.
• Using tongs, remove and discard the cooked vegetables. Add the potatoes and the remaining 8 carrots to the pot, cover, and return to the oven. Cook until the meat and vegetables are fork-tender, about 1 hour more.

JAPANESE-STYLE BEEF STEW

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, sear meat until nicely browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Transfer chunks to a medium-size casserole.
• Add stock to the skillet, and cook over high heat, stirring and scraping until all the solids are integrated into the liquid. Pour into the casserole with soy sauce, mirin, ginger and a couple of grindings of pepper. Peel lemon, and add peel to the mixture. Juice lemon.
• Cover, and cook on top of stove (or in a 350-degree oven), maintaining a steady simmer. Stir after 30 minutes. Then check meat every 15 minutes.
• When meat is nearly tender, about 45 minutes, stir in squash and continue to cook until squash is tender but not mushy, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add salt if necessary, then stir in lemon juice. Serve.

BEEF STEW WITH WINTER VEGETABLES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss beef with flour; season with salt and pepper. In a large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Working in two batches, shake off excess flour, and sear beef on all sides until browned, 8 to 10 minutes (use more oil for second batch, if needed). Transfer beef to a plate, and set aside (reserve pot).
• Add onion, celery, and garlic to pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine, and cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, until liquid is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Return browned beef to pot. Stir in tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, 2 hours. (If liquid reduces too quickly, add a little more water.)
• With tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a large bowl. Pass remaining contents of pot through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl; discard solids. Return beef and strained liquid to pot; stir in winter vegetables. Simmer over medium-low, partially covered, until beef and vegetables are fork-tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours more, stirring occasionally.

MUFFIN-TOPPED WINTER BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Toss the beef in seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole. Fry the beef over a high heat until browned all over - it's easiest to do this in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add 2 tbsp water and the onion to the pan, stir well over a medium heat, scraping up the crusty bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat and fry gently for 10 mins, stirring occasionally until the onions have softened.
• Tip in the carrots, parsnips and bay leaf, then fry for 2 mins more. Return the beef to the pan, stir in the tomato paste, wine if using, and stock, then bring to the boil. Cover and cook in the oven for 1¾-2 hrs until the meat is tender. Can be made up to 2 days ahead or frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before topping and baking. Take out of the oven and increase the temperature to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.
• To make the topping, sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add half the cheese. Mix olive oil and milk, then stir into the flour to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Add more milk, if necessary. Spoon the dough over the meat and vegetables, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for about 15 mins until golden, risen and cooked through.