Hearty Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 3 lbs beef chuck, cut in 2-inch cubes
• 3 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• 4 cups beef stock
• 4 carrots, cut in chunks
• 1.5 lbs potatoes, halved
• 3 sprigs thyme and 2 bay leaves

Instructions

1. 1

   Dry and salt the beef, toss it in the flour, and brown it in batches so each piece has room and the pan never drops in temperature.

2. 2

   Cook the onion in the same pot, then add the tomato paste and let it darken for two minutes against the bottom of the pan.

3. 3

   Pour in the wine and reduce it until it is syrupy, scraping up every browned bit, which is where nearly all of the flavor lives.

4. 4

   Return the beef with the stock, thyme, and bay leaves, and braise covered at 325°F for about two hours until the meat is nearly tender.

5. 5

   Add the carrots and potatoes for the final forty minutes, then rest the pot off the heat, skim the surface fat, and season it before serving.