The Best Winter Stew

-2 lbs stew meat

-1 medium onion, diced

-5-6 cloves garlic

-1 can of beer (12 oz) I used a pumpkin ale left-over from fall! 

-4 c beef broth

-1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

-3-4 TBS tomato paste

-2 TBS butter

-1 tsp paprika

-1 tsp sugar

-peel and cut carrots ( I used maybe 4-5)

-parsnips cut into bite-sized pieces(I used one but if you want more, add it!)

-turnip ( ditto for the turnip)

-new, red potatoes (double ditto for the potatoes. I used maybe 5-6) 

-2 squares or so of dark chocolate (You can use the baking kind or if you happen to have some stashed in a secret drawer, that’s great too!) It makes the sauce rich and flavorful. If you don’t have any, don’t worry. It will still taste great!

-dash of olive oil, salt, and pepper

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  1. Salt/pepper the stew meat and brown it. I used my dutch oven.  Remove it from your pot and set it aside. 
  1. Saute onions first then add the garlic for about 2-3 min. Pour in beer, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and all spices including sugar. Add beef back into the pot.
  1. Put the pot into a 325 oven for about 1- ½ hours. 
  1. Add your veggies and chocolate and continue in the oven for about 45 min or so. We like our veggies with a little bite to them but feel free to keep the pot in the oven longer to soften them up.
  1. I put the pot on the stove and added about ¼ c cornstarch and ¼ c cold water to thicken the liquid with a quick boil. Garnish with parsley if desired.

         Enjoy alongside a piece of crusty bread to dip in the sauce! This is one of those dinners that will smell wonderful while cooking! 

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I made this stew in the middle of November when the forecast called for the first blast of cold weather. I wanted to cook something cozy and warm over the weekend and was so glad I did! This recipe is easy and so good. It hits the spot when it’s freezing outside.

The base of this recipe is from the Pioneer Woman. As usual, I made it my own by changing some of the quantity and adding some extra ingredients. My sauce didn’t thicken like her recipe so that’s when I added the cornstarch and water. 

 Even though Christmas is about a week away, you still need to eat dinner, right? Besides the stew meat and some dark chocolate, you probably have most of the other ingredients in your kitchen. Once you get everything in the pot in the morning, you walk away. That’s the kind of dinner I love. Hope you enjoy it!