Friday Foodie-Project 52-Week 1: Beef and Onion Stew

Sometimes I find myself in a cooking rut where despite the cookbooks, magazines and the interwebs, I keep on  cooking the same things over and over again.  This can also make it challenging to write a weekly food column.

So in order to remedy this I decided to start a Project 52.  Each week I am going to make one new recipe and then report back with the recipe and how it was received.  Some recipes will be original and some will be from other sources. 

This recipe came from The Boston Globe.  I actually had it sitting in my recipe folder for two years before I used it, since its a hearty stew and really a winter thing.  This recipe is a little time consuming, with about 30-40 minutes of prep and 2-2/12 hours of simmer time, but its a great snow day kind of meal.

Beef and Onion Stew-Serves 6
3½ to 4 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch chunks (about 3 pounds)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons canola oil
3½ pounds onions (7 large), halved and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
½ teaspoon ground ginger
2 medium bay leaves
½ cup homemade or packaged low-sodium chicken broth
1½ cups (1 12-ounce bottle) high-quality dark beer
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1tablespoon cider vinegar
6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. In a medium bowl or ziploc bag, toss the beef with 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the flour to coat.

2. In a large, heavy Dutch oven, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium-high heat until it ripples. Add half of the beef, so that pieces are close together in a single layer but not touching (do not crowd), and cook without moving them until deeply browned on the bottom, about 3 1/2 minutes. Turn the pieces and cook, again without moving, until second side is deeply browned, about 3 1/2 minutes longer; transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.

3. Heat 2 more teaspoons of oil and repeat to cook remaining beef, reducing the heat as necessary if the drippings in the pot begin to burn.

4. Reduce the heat to medium, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil, and add the onions and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pot, until the onions are soft and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

5. Add the garlic, thyme, ginger, and bay leaves, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 40 seconds. Add the chicken broth, increase the heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown film on the bottom of the pot until it is all dissolved, about 2 minutes.

6. Slowly pour in the beer, then add the brown sugar, vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

7. Add the cooked beef with accumulated juices, submerge it in the liquid, bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover, and simmer until the beef is tender, about 2- 2 1/2 hours (set the lid slightly askew if the stew looks too soupy).

I served this with a hearty whole wheat sourdough.  Hubman and I loved it.  The 11 and 5 year old were not quite enthuiastic as you can taste some beer in the broth and onions.

I brought some of the leftovers to work, and my the people in my office who sampled LOVED it.

And look at that!  Wouldn't you love some too?