Old Time Beef Stew, the ultimate winter comfort

Everyone has their own way of making beef stew more flavorful.
Some adds tomato sauce, some pours fancy red wine or beer, some throws herbs and even orange zest...
Me?
I just use water.
Yes, water with a couple of beef bouillon cubes for the intense beef flavor.

I like old fashioned beef stew with humble everyday ingredients.
There are times that you just want nothing but plain old comfort food without sensationalizing your taste bud.
This beef stew works for me and for my family.
The ingredients are something you might already have in your pantry and all you need is time to simmer. I add Paprika and a hint of allspice to make this beef stew the flavor of good old time.

One thing I do differently is that I don't add chunks of potatoes in the stew.  I like to eat my stew with creamy mashed potato on the side to soak up all that delicious gravy.
Make this stew ahead of time because it gets even better next day.


Ingredients:

2 lb beef chuck or brisket diced into big chunks
2 tablespoon canola oil

1 large onion sliced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 cups water
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon lemon juice, optional
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
dashes of allspice or cloves
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup water + 2 tablespoon cornstarch

Here is how:

 Season your beef with salt and pepper. You can coat with flour if you want but I usually skip that.

Now, place a good dutch/french oven on the stove.

 Brown your meat in hot oil. You might need this step in two or three batches.

 Set aside. Keep their juice.

 Slice onion but don't cry...

Add the onions to the pot and saute for 2 minutes.

Pour water to just barely cover the beef and onion.

Peel off a couple of beef bouillon cubes and dump in the pot.

 These are my beef stew flavor crew. Add a bay leaf to the list.

 

This poor Korean housewife can never ever pronounce the name of this important sauce right.

Why do everyone say it differently?

Anyway, you need to add 1 tablespoon of this "wooster" or "woochester" or "woshestershire" sauce.

This is an optional. I like to add a little bit of lemon juice. You won't taste it but it will tenderized the meat dramatically if the cut is quite tough.

 Throw the other spice along with salt and pepper, and the bay leaf!

Cover with a lid and let the whole thing simmer for 1 1/2 hours or so.

Take the bay leaf out and add the carrots and celery.

Put the lid back and simmer for another 30-40 minutes or until they are folk tender.

 Mix cornstarch with water and pour over the stew, stir. It will take a few minutes to thicken.

 Here, the stew is finished.

Oh, boy!  This is a good stuff!

Serve the stew over your favorite mashed potato soaking up all that good gravy.

 Warm comforting beef stew without breaking your bank account.

Get yourself a nice tossed green salad and some corn bread to go with.

Now the dinner is ready to serve...

Anyone hungry?

Need a printable recipe? Click here.