Last weekend, fall finally arrived in the East Bay. It was grey and rainy, but not, at least to me, gloomy. I was delighted: Fall is my favorite season. California may not show off in fall with bright red and gold leaves, like New England, but it has its own charms. And I, in true homebody fashion, love being cozy and warm in our bright little apartment when the skies turn grey and damp. So I welcomed fall in the best way I know: by cooking up a big pot of beef stew.
Beef stew is the perfect food for fall. You can fill it up with all the lovely root vegetables appearing at the markets, and it requires a nice, long cooking time, while your house fills with amazing smells and cooking warmth. If you want to really warm up the house, you can throw it in the oven, although it turns out just as well cooking on the stove. And while it cooks away, you can curl up on the couch and read or knit or watch a movie, or do whatever you like to do when it’s cold out and you are feeling snug and secure inside. Soon enough, you’ll have a hearty and warm dinner to make your wonderful rainy weekend just about perfect.
I love potatoes and turnips in beef stew, but if you like, squash, parsnips, and sweet potatoes are great here, as well. We had some beautiful, bright turnips from our CSA, and I love the way the taste mellows out after long, slow cooking. If you want the turnips to retain more of their bite, add them to the stew later.
I usually use beef broth for this stew, but this time, I thought mushroom broth might be interesting, and it was. It’s a very subtle difference, but this stew had an extra earthiness that I really loved. To enhance that flavor, you can try adding in some dried mushrooms, ground into a powder. Or you can go ahead and add some chopped, fresh mushrooms.
Usually, you can find beef stew meat in the butcher department. Stew meat is usually cut from chuck or brisket, so if you can’t find stew meat, you could buy a cut of this type and trim it yourself. You want pieces about 1 1/2 to 2 inches square. This kind of meat needs a nice slow cooking method, which breaks down the connective tissues in the meat and makes it perfectly tender. Short ribs would work, too, but they are very fatty, and you’d likely need to skim off some of the fat while the stew cooks.
We thickened the stew with a slurry at the end of the cooking time, but you can also try flouring the meat before you brown it.
Beef Stew
- about 2 pounds beef stew meat
- a few pinches of salt
- about 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 small turnips
- 1 tablespoon dried tarragon
- 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
- about 1 cup red wine
- 1 32-ounce container mushroom broth
- about 2 cups small new potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces if they are large
- 2-3 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoons water
Season the beef with salt, and pepper if you like. Heat the oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the beef to the pot, just a few pieces at a time so the meat isn’t crowded in the pot. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until each piece is browned, then remove to a plate while you cook the next batch. It doesn’t need to be cooked thoroughly, just browned for flavor.
Once all the beef is cooked, lower the heat, and add another splash of oil to the pan. Add the chopped onion, and cook for a few minutes. When the onions are golden and soft, add the carrots and celery. Cook for another few minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Then stir in the turnips. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another few minutes. Then sprinkle in the tarragon, dried mustard, and another pinch of salt. Stir well, then add the red wine, and scrape all the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the wine to a boil and let cook for a few minutes, until it begins to reduce. Then stir in the mushroom broth, and return the beef to the pot.
Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Let the stew cook, simmering, for about an hour. Add the potatoes, and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. You might need to adjust your cooking time, depending on your meat. You want the meat to be fork tender, and sometimes this can take up to two or three hours. The key thing is to add the potatoes only about half an hour before the soup will be served, so they don’t overcook.
Once the potatoes and the meat are tender, you’re going to thicken the stew with a slurry. Mix the flour with about a tablespoon of water in a small measuring cup. Add a few tablespoons of hot liquid from the stew pot, and mix very thoroughly with a fork. Now, stir the slurry slowly into the stew, stirring constantly so it doesn’t get lumpy. The Kitchn has a great post on making a slurry.
Season the soup to taste, and serve with some nice, crusty bread to mop up the last remnants of delicious stew in the bowl.