Serves 10, 1 1/3 cup each
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ounces bacon, diced
- 3 pounds beef stew meat, chuck cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup flour
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups carrots, sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 pound mushrooms, quartered
- 1 bottle red wine (use beef broth if you prefer not to use wine)
- 1 each bay leaf, strip of orange zest, thyme sprig, parsley sprig
- ½ cup parsley,
- 1 orange, zested
INSTRUCTIONS…
Heat 1 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook until just brown. Transfer to a paper towel.
Season the beef cubes with salt & pepper. Toss in flour.
In the same pan, add the beef in batches, and brown on all sides. Transfer to a bowl.
Continue adding beef and cook until all the beef is cooked.
Add another tablespoon of olive oil and add the onions. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and carrots and cook another 5 minutes or until soft. Add the tomato paste and cook a minute.
Add the wine and scrap any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Return the beef (not the mushrooms) to the pan, making sure the beef is covered with wine (or beef broth if not using wine). If not, add some water.
Add another tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan and cook the mushrooms until tender another 5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and set aside.
Cover and place in a 275-degree oven for 2 ½-3 hours or until very tender. Add more water if the stew evaporates too much during cooking. During the last 15 minutes, add the mushrooms.
Remove the bay leaf, thyme sprigs and orange rind. Garnish the stew with parsley and orange zest as you serve it.
