Its a very comforting dish, served with warm rolls on a cool or rainy day.
you will need
a crockpot or dutch oven
2lbs Stewing beef
3 medium carrots cut into rounds
4 medium potatoes cubed
2 medium onions chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
2 boxes of beef stock (use gluten free stock if your making gluten free)
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 tsp parsley
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup corn starch
1 tbsp olive oil or veg oil
Heat a large skillet or if using dutch oven heat dutch oven over med/high heat. (turn on crock pot to low or high if your short on time. If using dutch oven preheat oven to 350)
Cut stewing beef into smaller chunks if they are large. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper to the corn starch and mix. Sprinkle cornstarch mixture over the beef chunks and coat beef evenly. Add tbsp of oil to the skillet and add beef, brown on all sides. Move browned beef to a plate. (if using crock pot add directly to crock pot)
Do Not Skip this step it is very important - Use 1/2 cup of the beef stock and de-glaze the pan or dutch oven. Ensuring you scrape all the bits off the bottom.
(If using crock pot add this to the crock pot) .
turn heat off. and Add the meat back to the pan along with all the remaining ingredients, stir place lid on and place in oven. Cook at 350 for 3 hours. Check on the stew every hour to ensure it is not drying out. If stew is drying out add more stock. The stew is ready when the meat is tender and falling apart and potatoes are cooked through. Add peas once the stew is ready and let cook for an extra 15mins to heat peas through. If you don't like peas you can skip this step.
(if you find your gravy is runny.. follow this trick. Add 2 tbsp of corn starch to a cup and remove 1/2 cup of the gravy from the stew mix throughly and pour this mixture back into the pot) this should thicken up the gravy, wait awhile and see if it is as thick as you want. If not repeat this step.
DO NOT ADD the Corn starch directly to the pot. ALWAYS mix with hot liquid from the pot. Other wise you will get a very lumpy grainy gravy.
For the crockpot best results are cooking on low for the entire day. this is a set it and forget it meal. around 8 hrs on low and 4 hours on high.
Happy Cooking :)
Enjoy!
Fran
