This hearty beef stew is the epitome of comfort food and so welcome on a cold winter’s night.
Ingredients
1/2 lb thick bacon, cut in 1″ pieces
2 lb stewing beef, cubed
3 T SOOC Tuscan Herb Olive Oil
5 carrots, sliced thick
3 stalks celery, sliced thick
2 large red onions, large dice
Sea salt & Ground black pepper
All-purpose flour (for sprinkling)
4 potatoes, cubed (yellow, like Yukon Gold)
1 lg (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 ½ C dry red wine
3/4 C SOOC Traditional Dark Balsamic
1 C beef Stock
2 sprigs thyme
1 C mushrooms, sliced
4 garlic cloves, whole
Directions
In a large frying pan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove and place on paper towel, reserving fat.
Rinse beef, pat dry and coat with flour. Add olive oil to fry pan with 3 T reserved bacon grease and bring to heat. Brown the beef cubes in batches and put in your slow cooker with the bacon.
Saute carrots & celery in the hot pan (add more olive oil if necessary) until browning, approximately 2 to 3 minutes; remove to slow cooker.
Add onions to your frying pan and sauté until soft. Deglaze your pan with some wine, scraping bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add everything left in the frying pan to the slow cooker.
To the crock pot add the potatoes, tomatoes, remaining wine, balsamic vinegar and enough stock to almost cover the meat and vegetables. Add the garlic cloves and thyme. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve with fresh chewy bread.
