Recipe: Hearty Beef Stew
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Hearty Beef Stew
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more if necessary
3½ pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon Emeril's Original Essence
¾ teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 (10-ounce) package fresh pearl onions, blanched, peeled and root ends trimmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound button mushrooms, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
4 cups beef stock, at room temperature
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¾ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
¾ teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
¾ teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 pound small (golf ball size) new potatoes, quartered
1½ cups diced carrots
½ cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Set a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan and season the beef with 1 teaspoon of the salt, Essence and ½ teaspoon of the black pepper. Sear the beef (in batches, adding more olive oil if necessary), along with the pearl onions, until well-browned, 2 or 3 minutes per side.
Place the seared meat and onions in the crock pot.
After searing the last batch of meat, add the butter to the pan and, once melted, add the mushrooms and season with ½ teaspoon of the salt and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of black pepper.
Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to scrape up any browned bits, continue to cook for 3 minutes.
Add the flour to the pan, stir to combine and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the stock, tomato paste, thyme, oregano, basil, ground Allspice and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt to the pan and bring to a boil. Once the stock boils, add it to the crock pot and set the temperature to high. Cover and cook for 1 hour.
Add the potatoes and carrots, and cook the stew until the meat is fork-tender, about 5 hours longer on high.
Skim any fat from the top of the stew and, if you prefer a thicker gravy, transfer 2 tablespoons of the skimmed fat to a small bowl.
Whisk in 2 additional tablespoons of flour; add a small amount of the hot gravy to the flour mixture and whisk to combine.
Stir this mixture into the stew and cook until stew is further thickened, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
Stir in the peas and parsley; taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, then serve immediately.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings