Stewing Up A Storm!

What I Used for Inspiration:

Half-empty bottle of red wine

Frozen beef that was on the verge of getting funk-ay

Mini potatoes

This weekend I definitely "stewed" up a storm in my kitchen--I decided to clean out my freezer and any odd bits from my fridge to make space for new groceries. I made one dish with chicken, spinach, and this "brown rice on steroids" called Wehani--it's seriously the most delicious brown rice I have tasted!! Highly recommend.

But the piece de resistance was the beef stew (a la boeuf bourguignon) that I made last minute and tasted deeee-licious! The beef tenderloin I had in my freezer (that had been there for too long to admit haha) and the half-empty bottle of red wine sitting on my counter (for also too long to admit) were screaming at me-- "beef stew!! beef stew!!" What, doesn't your food talk to you!? I luckily had a bag of mini red potatoes that needed to be cooked as well as onions, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes I had just purchased at the market, and chicken broth I had just made from leftover rotisserie chicken bits--the making of a grand pot of beefy goodness.

Beef Stew Frenchy Style :)

Ingredients:

1/2 bottle red wine + 2 C chicken broth (or one whole bottle of wine if you're so inclined)

1 lb beef (roast, tenderloin, whatever you have) cut into 1" cubes

2 small or 1 large onion, cut into chunks

4 cloves garlic, sliced in half

1/2 lb baby carrots (or large carrots cut into chunks)

8-12 oz baby potatoes (or large potato cut into cubes)

1 pt cherry tomatoes (or one small can canned tomatoes or large tomato cut into chunks)

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

Why yes, I most definitely bought the wine because of the big yellow smiley on the bottle. I'm a sucker to the marketing machine :) (but it did taste good!)

In a large pot (thank God for my Le Creuset!), saute the onions and garlic until soft; add carrots

Add the cubes of beef and then the potatoes and tomatoes. Sprinkle in the dried rosemary.

Now comes the fun part: pour in the chicken broth and/or red wine

Cover and simmer on low for 1 hour. Remove cover and check consistency of the stew:

If the stew is very liquidy: Let simmer for another hour uncovered.

If the stew is slightly thick, keep covered and simmer for another hour, making sure there's enough liquid so it doesn't burn.

In the end, the stew should be fairly thick and the meat fork-tender.

Dish up a hearty serving of this one-pot meal, serve with some crusty baguette and a stiff glass of wine and be ready to savor one heck of a dinner! (although it tastes even better the next day)