Delicious, Simple, Homemade Beef Stew

What you need:

• about an 8 oz pack of cut up stew meat – I used Angus
• 1 Qt Beef Broth (I used organic by College something was the brand, near the soups).
• 2 containers from the Knorr Home Style Stock, beef flavor (it’s a 4.6oz package).
• 2 onions
• 4 medium carrots
• 1 large Idaho potato
• about 3/4 measured cup flour
• about 4 tbs butter (if you like a little thickness / viscosity)
• 1 oz extra virgin olive oil
• Thyme
• Black Pepper
• Salt
• 2 Bay leaves

First cut up the onions and carrots, into bite sized pieces, lke half an inch thickness.

Keep the onions and carrots separate.

Also open the beef packet, moving the plastic away, but leaving it in the package.

Have the flour and a mixing bowl standing by.

Heat a pan or pot that’s like 12-14 inches across with 1 oz olive oil on high heat.

while that heats up, open the beef, season it with salt and pepper (I use a Himalayan Salt grinder) and any kind of pepper to nicely season it,

just do it over the top (no need to toss it.

This allows the salt and pepper to soak into and season the beef.

Then toss the beef in a bowl with the flour, then remove it shaking the excesss flour.

When the oil in the pan starts to smoke, add the beef. Let it sit for maybe 2 minutes, then turn it over or mix it.

You can turn the pan to like half heat after a minute or so so that it doesn’t get too hot and burn it.

Let it sear up nice and brown. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just some nice browning around the beef.

Now remove the beef with kitchen tongs, onto a paper plate, bowl etc, doesn’t matter.

Immediately add the onions, saute for like a minute, stirring, and then add in 1/4 cup bottled water, and the carrots.

You just want to get that nice flavor from the onions hitting the hot pan.

Now remove the carrots and onions, into a bowl, and add the beef to the pot, and the QT of stock,

along with the 2 bay leaves, a few pinches of thyme, and bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally, feeling the bottom to make sure it isn’t scorching.

Switch pots if so.

While it is simmering, peel and cut up the potato, and place it in water, or wait an hour and do it, or else it will turn brown.

Add the 2 packs of Knorr Home style stock and let it simmer another 45 minutes to an hour. You can check a piece of meat after 45 minutes to see if it is the desired tenderness.

Beef stew meat typically takes 2 hours to cook.

If you want it thicker, you’ll make a roux. Add the butter to a saute pan or small pot, and melt under medium heat. As it is halfway melted, add the leftover flour in the mixing bowl from dredging the beef,

a portion at a time, stirring it in.

Once all the flour is added, stir for a few minutes over medium heat, its important to keep it moving so it doesn’t burn. Now take a couple ounces of the broth at a time with a ladle and add it incrementally to the roux,  stirring until thick, and then adding more. Do this a few times, adding  4-6 or so ounces of the broth to the roux, and then set it aside.

After 1.5 hours of simmering, now heat the roux back up, and add a few more ladles doing the same, and then add this into the stew.

Now let it finish for a total of 1.75-2 hours, and taste it and season to taste with some more salt and pepper if needed.