Beef Wine Stew
Ingredients
- 2.5 – 3 lb stew beef, cubed
- 3 shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- ⅔ cup balsamic vinegar
- 75ml (½ can) of tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 4 cups water
- Olive oil
- ½ cup butter
- Bay leafs
- Thyme
Steps
If cooking in an oven add all ingredients to the pan, add the sauce simmering to the pan once it has come to a boil, and cook 2 hours at 325F, then optionally add carrots and potatoes and continue cooking for 1 hour, or until the meat is fork-tender, the broth is thickened, and the carrots and potatoes are tender.
Below steps are for a slow cooker.
- On medium-high heat, add olive oil in a large pot, enough to fry
- Sear beef cubes in small batches on two sides, don’t overcrowd, add to slow cooker heating on low
- Sauté shallots and garlic in generous 1/4 cup of butter, add to slow cooker
- Create a roux with flour and the accumulated beef drippings and oil, set aside
- Sauté tomato paste, then, leaving time after each to come to temperature, add: balsamic vinegar to deglaze, then wine, then water. Optionally add herbs in the pot as the sauce simmer or add straight to the slow cooker.
- Let sauce simmer 5-10 minutes to reduce alcohol content of the wine.
- Add salt, black pepper, and thyme to simmering sauce and slow cooker to taste. Add 2-4 or more bay leafs to slow cooker to taste.
- Pour sauce over beef already in slow cooker and let it cook on low for 2 hours to develop flavour.
Source: OnceUponAChef
Rough Notes
2.5-3lb beef cubes
Olive oil, lots to fry
Sear on two sides
Set aside and allow juice to drip out
5 shallots or medium onions
7 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup balsamic
Cook 5 min
Add 75mL tomato paste
Cook 1 min
Add beef juice and 1/2 cup flour
Alterations
use 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
sub the beef broth with half the specified water and also add a tablespoon of butter to the sauce
double or triple thyme depending if weak flavour
*sugar optional
Double onions or shallots
Use 1/4 cup balsamic
Replace broth with water if no available and up all herbs
Omit sugar
Add ¼ cup butter in with the flour
3 cups of wine, 5 cups of water