Hearty Beef Stew--Slow Cooker

My kids ate meat!!!

MY KIDS ATE MEAT!!!

I think my kids have finally gotten over their meat phobia. I was so shocked I almost fell off my chair. They have been eating chicken regularly, and tonight la-la-la they ate beef stew. When I asked them to eat the veggies, they said they would rather eat the meat. Usually its the other way around. So this is now magical beef stew and we will be making this all winter long.

I love beef stew. It reminds me of my childhood, and this one blows all other beef stew recipes away.

Now, this is IMPORTANT.....You may think the methods are a little different, and a little more time consuming then just dumping all the ingredients into the slow cooker. I swear its worth it. You need to brown the meat, and put the veggies in the foil pack. You want to go those extra steps to get the best results. You wont be sorry, I promise. The veggies are little bits of heaven and they didnt get too mushy from cooking all day.

Hearty Beef Stew

borrowed from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

5 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (I used about 3 pounds of meat)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or beef broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 pound carrots, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound red potatoes, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons Minute tapioca
2 cups frozen peas (I didnt have any in my freezer so I omitted this time)

After the meat has been cut into chunks, pat it dry with a paper towel and season all the pieces with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat until the oil is rippling and hot. Cook half of the beef until it is well browned on each side, about 4 minutes. No need to cook it all the way through – just get some great brown color all around. Toss the meat in the slow cooker and follow the same process with the second half of the meat (you may need to add another tablespoon of oil to the pan if it looks a little dry). Remove the meat to the slow cooker, trying to keep as much oil in the pan as possible.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the onions are translucent and golden, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the broth, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon thyme and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil and transfer it to the slow cooker, pouring it over the meat.

In a large bowl, toss the carrots, potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. On the counter, lay out a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil (use two sheets of regular foil on top of each other if you don’t have heavy-duty). Place the tossed vegetables on one side of the foil. Fold the foil over the vegetables and crimp the edges really well to form a little foil packet that will fit in the top of your slow cooker. Stir the tapioca into the slow cooker. Place the foil packet of vegetables on top of the stew, cover the slow cooker, and cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 10-11 hours.

When the stew is finished cooking, carefully remove the foil packet from the top of the stew. Discard the bay leaves from the stew. Carefully open the foil packet (be careful of steam that may escape as you open it!). Return the vegetables and any juices to the slow cooker and gently mix them into the stew. Stir in the frozen peas and let them rest in the stew for 5-10 minutes, until they are heated through. Serve.