Black Kettle Beef Stew

Instructions

Cut the meat into 1-1/2 inch chunks removing most of the fat. Add the salt and pepper to the flour, mix. Dredge the meat in the flour. Reserve the extra flour. Pour the olive oil into a preheated large skillet. Allow the oil to get hot, but not burning. Brown the meat on all sides in small batches. Do not crowd the pan. Remove the meat to a either a large kettle or crockpot.

Add the butter to what is left of the olive oil. Add the flour to the pan. Cook flour and butter mixture for a few moments. This is called a Roux. If it is too dry add a little more butter or oil to make a light brown thick paste. Heat the broth or consommé to just below boiling. Add to pan while stirring. This will make a thick gravy consistancy. Add the tomato sauce and wine. Keep stirring the liquids scraping up the browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add the spices (3 tbls. parsley) and browning sauce to the pan. Stir to blend. Pour the liquid over the meat in the kettle. Stir to coat the meat.

Cut the vegetables into a chunky dice. Add the vegetables to the pot and stir to mix them in. Cover the kettle and bring to a slow simmer. Cook for four to six hours stirring occationally to prevent sticking. When meat is tender and vegetables are cooked through stew is ready. If using a crockpot cook for 8-10 hours on low. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Author's Comments

I was thinking today would be a perfect day for beef stew. We had our first hard freeze last night and I needed some comfort food. So I came up with this recipe from the pantry. I served them with refrigerator rolls that I already had prepared.

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