Perfect for the Winter months when red wine is an exciting weeknight treat, this Red Wine Beef Stew with carrots and potatoes is the ideal dish to enjoy when you are longing to feel warm and satiated.
This tasty red wine beef stew consists of tender beef cubes, carrots, and baby potatoes, and is flavoured with silky red wine, garlic, onions, balsamic vinegar, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, and tomato paste.
This recipe calls for a meat cut that has high fat marbling- this adds rich, succulent flavour and juiciness due to the fat content of the meat. Marbling also results in a more tender meat as the fat keeps the meat moist while its cooking. An appropriate meat in this sense would be a Scotch Fillet steak (Ribeye) as it has a high content of fat marbling.
If you are looking for a quick and simple meal, this recipe might not be for you as it is a rather complex one, requiring quite a few steps and taking almost three hours. However, if you are looking to wow your guests (and yourself of course) and create a luscious and tender meat dish, this one will certainly be worth your while!
Red Wine Beef Stew with Carrots and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 800 grams boneless beef (well-marbled) cubed
- black pepper freshly grounded
- 3 tbsp olive oil extr virgin
- 2 medium onions sliced (chunks)
- 6 cloves garlic sliced and chopped
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups red wine dry
- 2 cups beef stock rich
- 2 cups water
- 4 bay leaves
- small bunch of fresh thyme chopped
- 1 cup small carrots
- 500 grams baby potatoes peeled and cut in halves
- fresh parsley for garnishing
Instructions
- Pat the beef dry and season with the salt and pepper
- In a large heavy based pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering
- Sear the meat in batches on both sides, for about 5 minutes per batch
- Add one tablespoon oil for each batch
- To sear the meat properly, do not overcrowd the pan and let the meat develop a nice brown crust before turning
- Set aside
- Add the onions, garlic, and balsamic vinegar into the pan
- Stir with a wooden spoon and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, for about 5 minutes
- Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more
- Add the beef with its sauce back to the pan and sprinkle with the flour
- Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes
- Add the wine, beef stock, water, bay leaves and thyme
- Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil
- Cover the pot with a lid, turn down the heat and simmer for at least 2 hours
- Check from time to time to ensure the meat does not burn
- After 2 hours, add the prepared carrots and potatoes
- Cover and cook for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked, the sauce has thickened and the meat is tender
- Season if necessary