Parker’s Beef Stew
(courtesy of Terry Bell, serves 8 generously)
2½ pounds good-quality chuck beef, cut into 1½-inch cubes
1 (750 ml) bottle good red wine
2 whole garlic cloves, smashed
3 bay leaves
2 cups all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Good olive oil
2 yellow onions, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1½-inch chunks
½ pound white mushrooms, cut in half, stems discarded
1 pound small potatoes, halved or quartered
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 cups chicken stock or broth
1 large branch fresh rosemary
½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen or fresh peas
Place the beef in a bowl with red wine, garlic, and bay leaves. Place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight.
The next day: Start your charcoal.
Combine flour, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper. Lift beef out of marinade with slotted spoon and discard bay leaves and garlic, saving marinade. In batches, dredge cubes of beef in flour mixture and then shake off excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in large pot and brown half beef over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Place beef in greased 12-inch Dutch oven and continue to brown remaining beef, adding oil as necessary. Place all beef in Dutch oven. Heat another 2 tablespoons of oil in large pot and add onions, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Place all vegetables in Dutch oven over beef. Add 2½ cups of reserved marinade to empty pot and cook over high heat to deglaze bottom of pan, scraping up all brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken stock, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Pour sauce over meat and bake for 1½ to 2 hours, using about 14 pieces of charcoal on bottom and 14 pieces of charcoal on top, until meat and vegetables are all tender, stirring once or twice during cooking. Before serving, stir in frozen peas, and season to taste. Serve hot.
