Mama Mancini's Recipes

Italian Beef Stew

The key to achieving the rich deep flavor of this Stew is to brown the beef properly. The brown bits that are formed in the pot are the foundation for the rich flavor we are building.

A bowl of beef stew filled with chunks of beef, peas, potatoes, carrots, and onions in a rich gravy with a hint of garlic. A slice of crusty bread is resting on the edge of the bowl. _MamaMancinis

Ingredients

  • 2.5-3 lbs beef chuck stew meat cut into small cubes seasoned with salt and pepper
  • 6-garlic cloves smashed
  • 1/2-cup minced onion
  • 2-medium yellow onions quartered
  • 4-carrots cleaned cut into quarters
  • 2-celery stalks cut into 1” pieces
  • 4-large red potatoes quartered
  • 1-cup of frozen peas
  • 1-cup dry red wine chianti is good
  • 1-qt beef or chicken stock
  • 1/2-cup of tomato sauce
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1-tbs of flour
  • 2-bay leaves
  • 1/4-cup vegetable oil
  • 2-tbs tomato paste

Directions

1

Pre heat oven to 325 degrees.

2

In a heavy oven proof pot with a tight fitting lid stove top heat the oil to very hot add a few pieces beef at a time do not crowd the pot or it will steam and not brown.

3

Brown on all sides, remove to a plate brown all the beef, remove to the plate. It’s very important to create that brown foundation in the pot.

4

Drain all but 2 tbs of oil, add the minced onion, garlic, tomato paste sauté for 2 minutes 5-deglaze the pot with the wine scraping all the brown bits from the pot mixing everything together.

5

Add the beef back to the pot with the liquid that has gathered on the plate. Sprinkle the flour all over the beef.

6

Add the tomato sauce and enough stock just to cover the beef, mix everything together.

7

Add the bay leaves, celery, stir this all together.

8

Bring to a boil cover, place in the oven, after one hour check the liquid level if needed add stock to just cover the beef.

9

After 2 hours total add the potatoes, quartered onions, carrots. Stir everything together cover and place back into the oven 11-after 40 min add the peas, stir, cover place back into the oven for 15 minutes. 12-remove from the oven, discard the bay leaves and enjoy.

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