Michael Smith's Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

On November 14, 2010 me and my mom made a really good beef stew from a cook book named The Best of Chef At Home, by Michael Smith. My dad got brought home this book for me and we decided to make the stew.because yesterday there was a really big snow storm. It seemed like just the right dish to make.

2 lb of stewing beef
A sprinkle or two of sea salt and freashly ground pepper
A splash of any vegetable oil
A few carrots,peeled and roughly chopped
A few stalks of celery, roughly chopped
A few potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
A few parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
A few onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 turnip, peeled and roughly chopped
1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes
1/2 bottle or so of hearty red wine
3 to 4 of homemade or canned beef broth
a few bay leaves
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 jar of pickled baby white onions
a few handfuls of frozen peas
another sprinkle or two of salt and pepper



Preheat a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, pat the beef dry with a clean towel and then cut it into large cubes and season it with the salt and pepper. Add a splash of oil to the pot-enough to cover the bottom in a thin layer- and toss in enough meat to form a single sizzling layer. Sear the meat on every side until it's evenly browned.
Once the meat is done, discard the remaining oil but keep all the browned bits in the pan; they'll add lot's of flavour to the stew. Add half of the vegetables-reserving the other half- and all the meat back into the pot. Add the tomatoes and enough wine and beef broth to barely cover the works. Add the bay leaves and rosemary and bring the pot to a simmer.
Continue cooking until the meat is almost tender, about 1 hour, then, then add the remaining vegetables and the baby onions. Adding the vegetables in 2 batches allows the first batch to dissolve into the stew while the second remains its shape, colour and texture. Continue simmering until the meat and veggies are tender, another 30 minutes or so. When the stew is tender, add the frozen peas and cook until heated throgh. Taste it and seasonas you like with salt and pepper.

makes 6 to 8 servings