Not much time here now that baby land is in full swing, with our little girl quickly approaching 6 months old our free time is just as quickly dwindling. I did want to take a moment though and "officially-ish" welcome everyone to comfort food season, the most wonderful season of all. I adore Fall - the weather, the colors, the food - it is all my favorite things rolled up in one. So here is a recipe that is like a great big bear hug welcome to comfort food season - slow cooker beef stew. This recipe is really more "winter coat weather" than "jacket weather" but you need to prepare early for these things, planning is everything you know.
This recipe is not as straight forward as my favorite "dump and go" slow cooker recipes, but the extra effort to get those flavors working early is definitely a must. There is a difference for the recipe if using slab bacon versus regular bacon, I recommend the slab bacon if you can find it, but either will give a great flavor base to the stew. I highly recommend serving this up with some delicious baking powder biscuits (which can be made the day before for less stress).
6 slices of thick bacon, cut in half, or an equal amount of slab bacon cut into small cubes
1 – 1.5 pounds cubed beef stew meat
1 large onion, finely diced or minced
1 cup carrots, small dice
5 small yellow potatoes, well scrubbed and diced
1 cup red wine
3 cups beef broth
1 cup water
4 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp flat leaf parsley, 1 tsp fresh minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Hardware: slow cooker, large pot or deep pan
1. Crisp bacon in olive oil in a large pot. Add beef and brown. (If using regular bacon, remove once crispy, crumble and set aside for topping later. Slab bacon stays in with the beef to cook in the stew)
2. Add onions and carrots and saute for about 5 minutes.
3. Pour into slow cooker, top with potatoes and spices, add red wine, water, and beef broth, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
4. Turn the slow cooker to high. In a small bowl, blend 2 tbsp cornstarch with 1/4 cup water; stir into the stew and let simmer for a few minutes to thicken and integrate flavors. If needed, repeat the process again with the remaining 2 tbsp cornstarch. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Allow to cook for about 10 min for all the flavors to settle down then stir and serve. Enjoy!
1. Crisp bacon in olive oil in a large pot. Add beef and brown. (If using regular bacon, remove once crispy, crumble and set aside for topping later. Slab bacon stays in with the beef to cook in the stew)
2. Add onions and carrots and saute for about 5 minutes.
3. Pour into slow cooker, top with potatoes and spices, add red wine, water, and beef broth, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
4. Turn the slow cooker to high. In a small bowl, blend 2 tbsp cornstarch with 1/4 cup water; stir into the stew and let simmer for a few minutes to thicken and integrate flavors. If needed, repeat the process again with the remaining 2 tbsp cornstarch. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Allow to cook for about 10 min for all the flavors to settle down then stir and serve. Enjoy!
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