Beef and Root Vegetable Stew

Saturday seemed like a stew kind of day. From the looks of my social media feeds, you all celebrated Valentine’s Day with a visit to a favorite restaurant or a nice dinner at home – steak dinners and Shrimp Alfredo seemed to be popular choices. But I was craving stew. It just made sense, as the weather temp was in the teens and I knew our plans would center around a weekend nuzzled under blankets in the apartment. If you’re thinking we haven’t adapted to the Nebraska winter yet, you guessed correctly!

Making stew on Valentine’s Day also made sense because it marked the 4th birthday of my beloved goldenrod-hued Dutch oven from Le Creuset. It’s my favorite kitchen item; hands-down, and I’m in love with it’s story. Two months in to my first dating relationship, I celebrated Valentine’s Day with my first romantic Valentine {who happens to now be my husband!}. I was 23 at the time; and had zero expectations for what a Valentine’s celebration with a boyfriend should be like {for those of you that know me well, you’ll remember I had been very anti-romance until Ryan came along and swept me off my feet!}.

Even though we’d only known each other for a few months, Ryan was well aware of my love for cooking and had been educated thoroughly on the pros and cons of my tiny apartment kitchen, what my dream kitchen would one day look like, and what kinds of dishes I wanted to learn to make in the future. One of those dishes was braised beef short ribs.

A few days before our first Valentine’s, I was heading towards his car to climb in for an outing. I opened the door and much to my surprise and sheer delight sat a shiny new Le Creuset Dutch oven. Ryan had a nervous look on his face and asked hopefully with raised eyebrows “is this what you need to make the short ribs?” Of course I assured him that this was, indeed, the pot that was needed to make the best short ribs {according to Bon Appetit magazine} and we chattered on for a long time about the details of Ryan’s journey to find the perfect Valentine’s gift.

A few days later, we celebrated our first Valentine’s Day together over a succulently braised pot of beef short ribs. My Dutch oven has seen the likes of many hearty stews and braises over the last 4 years, and it’s proven its worth to me with each recipe attempt. The enameled cast iron perfectly sears and caramelizes any protein or vegetable that touches its surface, and it heats evenly all the way up to the top of the sides. It’s without a doubt on the top of my list for kitchen essentials, and is the kind of piece that you’ll use for a lifetime and then pass on to your grandchildren {you can find a beautiful kale-colored one on sale here}. If you are unsure of how to cut a butternut squash, check out the video below to see exactly how I do it!

The beef stew I chose to make for my Dutch oven’s 4th birthday is a rich, hearty concoction of slow-cooked stew meat and colorful root vegetables. It’s made with fresh herbs, red wine, and the best beef stock that I can purchase off a grocery store shelf {Kitchen Basics}, and will warm you from the inside out. Please make it and promise me you’ll serve it with the crustiest of bread you can find. Crusty bread is really the most reliable way to ensure that every drop of the velvety stew broth gets transferred from your bowl to your belly!

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Beef and Root Vegetable Stew

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs

Total Time

2 hrs 20 mins

 

Beef and Root Vegetable Stew highlights the bounty of winter produce in a rich and warming one-dish meal that's perfect for a cold winter's night. Make extra for the freezer and enjoy it all winter long!

Servings: 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat trimmed of any excess fat and cut into 1'' pieces of the same size
• Coarse ground Kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium shallot diced
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups of red wine recommend Cabernet Sauvingnon or Zinfandel
• 1 bunch fresh thyme about 6 sprigs
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 4-6 cups Kitchen Basics Unsalted Beef Stock
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 cups 1/2'' diced butternut squash about 1 1/2 pound squash
• 2 cups 1/2'' diced turnip about 2 medium
• 1 cup 1/4'' diced carrot 2-3 medium
• Special equipment: Dutch oven

Instructions

1. Allow beef pieces to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pat dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture, and season liberally with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once a drop of water sizzles on the bottom of the pot, add the butter and olive oil. Working in 2 batches, brown the stew meat pieces until caramelized, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer to plate and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the shallots. Saute until soft and translucent, Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds more. Add the tomato paste, Dijon mustard, and flour to pan. Stir for about a minute before adding the wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up all of the brown bits from the bottom of your pot.
4. Return the meat to the pot along with any accumulated juices. Add in the whole thyme and rosemary sprigs, 4 cups of beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered, until the meat is fork-tender, 1-1/2 hours. Add the butternut squash, turnips, carrots and additional stock if needed to cover the veggies. Simmer for an additional 30 minutes until the veggies are tender. Remove the thyme and rosemary sprigs and season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serve hot with a crusty baguette.
5. Leftovers can be frozen, if desired, for up to 3 months.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition Information Per Serving: Calories 354, Total Fat 9.9g,Saturated Fat 3.6g, Trans Fat 0.0g, Cholesterol 91mg, Sodium 599mg, Potassium 873mg, Total Carbohydrates 20.6g, Dietary Fiber 2.6g, Sugars 7.6g, Protein 32.5g