Beef Stew with Potatoes

Beef stew with potatoes is a warm and comforting dish, perfect for a family dinner. Here’s the recipe in the Italian way.

Ingredients

• 500 g of beef for stew (shoulder or silverside are good choices)
• 600 g of potatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 glass of red wine
• 500 ml of beef or vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• (Optional) Flour for dusting the meat

Preparation

1. Start by cleaning and cutting the onion, carrots, and celery into pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut them into not too small pieces.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the extra virgin olive oil and add the onion, carrots, and celery. Let them fry over medium-low heat until the onion becomes translucent.
3. Meanwhile, if you like, you can dust the meat with flour; this will help seal the juices of the meat and thicken the sauce.
4. Add the meat to the saucepan and brown it on all sides until well sealed and golden.
5. Deglaze with the glass of red wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
6. Add the rosemary, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, and cover everything with the broth.
7. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 1.5 hours (however, follow the timing indicated by the cut of meat you have chosen).
8. After this time, add the potatoes and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the meat is soft and flakes easily.
9. Check occasionally, and if it dries out too much, add more hot broth.

Curiosity

Stew is a typical dish of home cooking and is prepared in many regional variations in Italy. For example, in Tuscany, it is common to add tomato pulp for an even richer sauce, or in some northern areas, white wine is preferred over red wine for deglazing the meat.