When it’s starting to get cold and the leaves are changing colors, a great dinner to fix is a rich, nourishing soup. This stew is an easy fix-it-and-forget-it recipe. It’s also very filling, so you won’t go searching through the cupboard for a snack two hour after dinner. This beef stew can also be made in the crockpot (combine ingredients, set on low heat and dance off to work and come home to a house that smells amazing). My French-inspired beef stew recipe involved only about 15 minutes of work, with a total 2 hour traditional cooking time (or leave it to simmer longer if your meat is of a tougher cut).

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless flanken, brisket, chuck or any other nicely marbled meat, cut in bite-sized pieces
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 parsnip, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped (or a handful of minis)
• 2 onions, roughly chopped (or pearl onions)
• 5 ribs celery, diced
• 4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cloves chopped fresh garlic or 1 tbsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 dash cayenne (optional)
• 2 tsp dried rosemary (or 4 tsp fresh)
• 2-3 cups vegetable, beef or chicken stock
• 2-3 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Procedure

Sweat mirepoix (carrots, celery, onions) in olive oil in a deep pot, approximately 10 minutes.

In a large ziploc bag, incorporate flour and dried spices except for the rosemary, and add the bite-size beef pieces. Shake it all about! Remove the beef pieces, now lightly floured and spiced, and place in the pot with the vegetables. This adds just the right amount of flour to thicken the stew. (Some people like to remove the vegetables and sear the beef in oil as well, but I don’t usually take the time for this.) Add cubed potatoes, parsnip, rosemary and stock, and cover. Simmer on medium heat for 10-20 minutes, then correct seasonings and reduce to a very low flame and simmer for an additional hour or more, until ready to serve. Garnish with chopped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley.

This recipe serves four, easily. Add 1/3 to 1/2 pound uncooked meat for each additional adult. It also freezes beautifully.

For a lower carb option, omit the potatoes and replace with mushrooms and more root vegetables.

By Elizabeth Kratz