Red Wine Beef Stew

Last weekend was spent with two good friends who were both visiting {separately} from out of town.  Our friend Logan was in the area the week before for work and decided to head up to LA and spend the weekend with us.  We've know Logan since our college days.  He and Brad were suite-mates their freshman year and eventually fraternity brothers.  AND, Logan is married to Brad's cousin Margaret.  They met at our wedding {nbd}.  Crazy right?  We missed Margaret, but it was great to get to spend the weekend with Logan and introduce him to Austin.  The boys together...

Our friend Hoolie, who we know from our days in New York, stopped by on Sunday night on his way home from San Fran.  Hoolie conquered his fear of holding babies, and did a great job holding our little bear {even if it was brief...ha!}...

Since these days its easier to eat in than go out with the baby, I cooked Sunday dinner and we all stayed in for the evening.  Stew is the perfect Sunday meal to cook when you have the time to spend in the kitchen and want something warm and hearty to feed a large group of people.  This stew is my absolute favorite.  I love the rich flavor that the red wine adds and the crunch added by the addition of the green beans right before serving.  And, as most stews are, it's even better the next day.  So you can always make it on Saturday to make for an even more relaxing Sunday dinner.

Red Wine Beef Stew

2 lbs. beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tbsp. butter

salt and pepper

3 large carrots, halved and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 medium onions, diced

2 tbsp. all purpose flour

3 1/2 cups beef broth

2 cups red wine

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes

1 {6-inch} sprig of rosemary

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 large handfuls of green beans, trimmed and halved

In a large pot, melt 2 tbsp. of the butter over high heat.  Salt and pepper the stew meat.  Add half of the meat and brown on all sides for 5 to 6 minutes.  Remove the meat from the pan.  Add the remaining butter and brown the rest of the meat for 5 to 6 minutes.  Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

Turn the heat down to medium-high.  Add the carrots and onions to the pot and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.  Stir in the flour until it has fully covered the veggies and absorbed any juices.  Now, add the beef broth, red wine, crushed tomatoes and rosemary.  Add the meat back into the pot, and bring the stew to a boil.  Once the stew is boiling, turn the heat down to a slow simmer, and partially cover the pot with the lid.  Allow the stew to simmer for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 50 minutes, add the potatoes.  Cover the pot completely, and cook for another 45 minutes.

Finally, add the beans to the stew and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the beans have just turned green.  Don't overcook the beans.  You want them to have a nice snap still when you bite into them.  {Don't forget to remove the rosemary sprig before serving...nobody wants to bite into that!}

Serve immediately with crusty bread.  {Or...cool, refrigerate, and serve the next day!}

Recipe adapted from Food Network Favorites: Recipes from our All-Star Chefs