French Beef Stew

Here’s a savory beef stew recipe Paul developed around 2006 that he makes on cool nights. Only the first 30 minutes require active preparation in the kitchen. The stew slowly simmers for one hour before serving.

Frozen pearl onions make this recipe even easier if you can find them in the store. Fresh pearls require a few extra steps. Blanch them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes then remove them with a slotted spoon to an ice water bath. When cool enough to handle, snip the roots of the pearls and squeeze the core onion out of the papery skins.

Serve the stew with a crusty bread and a bottle of French Bordeaux or Burgundy. Leftovers taste even better the next day.

French Beef Stew

Servings: 6-8
Time: 90 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients:

1.5 lbs Cubed beef stew meat
1/4 cup All-purpose flour
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
2 14.5-ounce cans Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 14-ounce can Beef broth
4 Carrots, chopped
2 Red potatoes, peeled and chopped
16 Pearl onions
1/2 cup Red wine
3/4 tsp Dried thyme
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine meat and flour in large plastic bag and stir to coat evenly.
In a 6-quart saucepan, brown meat in hot vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Add diced tomatoes, beef broth, carrots, potatoes, pearl onions, wine, and thyme. Bring to a boil the reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is tender.
Mix in the Dijon mustard and serve.