Not much says winter like a big pot of hearty beef stew. Chilly winter winds are still blowing around here and that means the kids and I are still coming in from playing at the park with rosy cheeks and cold noses. A bowl of this stew warms the belly and packs mega nutrition from dark green kale and vitamin-rich carrots.
As with most stews, the work is in the prep and the cooking is easy. The mixture of beef, vegetables and stock simmers low and slow for 90 minutes until the pieces of beef flake with a fork, and the kale gets wilted in at the end. Stew is the ultimate one-pot wonder!
Here's how I made it:
a splash of canola oil
2 lbs stewing beef, cubed
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1 1/2 cups onion, diced
4 1/2 cups carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cups potato, cut into chunks
5 cups beef stock
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 cups kale, roughly chopped
I started by warming the oil in my largest soup pot over medium-high heat. In a medium mixing bowl, I tossed the beef with the flour, chili powder and paprika to coat. The beef was added to the pot and browned on all sides. Next, I added the onion, carrot, potato, stock, and salt and pepper to the pot and stirred to combine. I brought the stew up to a boil over high heat, then lowered the heat to medium-low and allowed the stew to bubble away, covered, for 90 minutes. To finish, I stirred in the kale and allowed the stew to cook another 5 minutes.
Take that, cold noses!
What says winter in your kitchen?