Hearty Beef Stew

This past weekend, I made my second batch of beef stew of the season per request of my oldest daughter, Kate. So I sent David to the store for the ingredients and I got out the crock pot. This is not the type of recipe you can just whip up. Well, it is, but it takes 8-10 hours to actually cook in the crock pot. The photo you see is the stew just about done. Once you add some flour, it thickens up in the last 20 minutes of cooking. This is real comfort food. Serve with mashed potatoes and some delicious crusty bread.

Hearty Beef Stew

• 2 pounds of stewing beef (I used a combination of stewing beef and beef tips)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped (I use Vidalia and chop it in small pieces. The choice is yours.)
• 4 carrots peeled and chopped (I often use ready-to-eat baby carrots and cut them into quarter inch rounds.)
• 5 large russet potatoes peeled (or not) and cut into 1" cubes
• 1 28 oz. can of whole plum tomatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning or Oregano
• 3 cups beef broth, divided
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and then brown the meat in batches. Set aside.
2. Pour the can of tomatoes into a crock pot and mash them with the back of a large spoon or fork to break them up.
3. Add onions, carrots, and potatoes.
4. Sprinkle Italian seasoning or Oregano over the vegetables and then add the beef and all drippings from the skillet.
5. Pour 2 1/2 cups of beef broth over the beef and vegetables. Stir it all together.
6. Add bay leaves

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

About 20 minutes before serving, add salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and the remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth until smooth. Stir into stew. Replace the cover and cook until thickened. Remove bay leaves before serving.

I used certified organic products, including the beef broth. Use low-sodium if available.