Recipe: Hearty Beef and Vegetable Stew

This recipe is courtesy of America's Test Kitchen from Cook's Illustrated.

Hearty Beef and Vegetable Stew​

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 5 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 large portobello mushroom cap, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 onions, chopped fine
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 ½ cups dry red wine
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 12 ounces red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced 1 inch thick
• 4 parsnips, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced 1 inch thick
• 1 pound kale, stemmed and sliced into 1/2-inch-wide strips
• ½ cup frozen peas
• ¼ cup minced fresh parsley

  To Prepare

Adjust oven rack to lower- middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of meat on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes; transfer to bowl. Repeat with 1 teaspoon oil and remaining beef; transfer to bowl.

Add mushroom pieces to fat left in pot, cover, and cook over medium heat until softened and wet, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until mushroom pieces are dry and browned, 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon oil and onions and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and tomato paste and cook until flour is lightly browned, about 1 minute.               

Slowly whisk in wine, scraping up any browned bits. Slowly whisk in chicken broth and beef broth until smooth. Stir in bay leaves and browned meat and bring to simmer. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook for 1½ hours.

Stir in potatoes, carrots, and parsnips and continue to cook in oven until meat and vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. Stir in kale and continue to cook in oven until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove stew from oven and remove bay leaves. Stir in peas and parsley and let stew sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve .