BEST BEEF STEW

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8
Preparation Time: 0:00
Categories : Meat

4 pounds boneless sirloin, cut into 1 x 2 inch
chunks
2 cups hearty red wine
1/2 pound unsmoked slab bacon, cut into 1/4-inch
dice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions — thinly sliced
2 small carrots — scraped and thinly
sliced
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken or veal stock, heated
2 large garlic cloves, — thinly sliced
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Place the beef in a crockery bowl, add the wine, cover, and marinate, refrigerated, for 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Cover bacon pieces with water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and dry.

Place olive oil in a Dutch oven and add bacon. Saute until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Drain the sirloin, reserving marinade. Dry the meat well and brown it in batches over high heat. Set aside.

Add the onions and carrots to the Dutch oven and saute until wilted and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Pour out any oil that may be in the Dutch oven. Melt butter over medium heat in the Dutch oven and stir in flour. Cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the roux turns a dark golden brown. Stir in the hot stock. This will foam up, so stand back. Simmer a minute or two, then stir in the garlic, tomato paste, and salt and pepper. Add the sauteed vegetables, meat, bacon and the reserved marinade. Bring to a boil quickly on top of the stove. Cover and bake until tender, about 2 hours. Allow to cool, then refrigerate overnight.

Remove the stew from the refrigerator an hour before heating. Lift off the congealed fat and discard. Reheat in a preheated 325 degree oven until bubbly, about 45 minutes.

If the sauce has reduced and is a bit too thick, thin it out with an extra cup of hot chicken stock.


Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 115 Calories; 9g Fat (70.8% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 16mg Cholesterol; 419mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1 Vegetable; 2 Fat.

NOTES: Lee Bailey’s Long Weekend Cook Book (Carol)