Cozy, Delicious Beef Stew

It's been a bit since I posted my videos of this stew coming to life on my Instagram, and I promised a few folks that I'd put it on the blog, so here we are!

This stew has a few extra things that may be considered "fussy", but once you have them on hand, you can add them to a ton of different recipes to add depth of flavor! The fussy things include: a sofrito (you use half for this recipe and half you freeze for future soups, stews, etc.), dried mushrooms (I had these on hand from a previous recipe and they do add some umami to everything. If you don't have any, it's no big deal!), and anchovy paste! The only thing that I would deem as necessary is the sofrito, just because the flavor pay-off is unreal. The other two, you can do without. But the flavor difference is pretty great if you have them! Alright, now for the recipe!

Sofrito:

1 yellow onion

6 garlic cloves

1 bulb of fennel, stems cut off

4 peeled carrots.

1/4 cup olive oil

Stew:

2-2 1/2 lbs of stew meat

2 tsp. anchovy paste, or two anchovy filets chopped finely

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1/4 cup red wine

4 cups beef broth

2 lbs potatoes (russet or Yukon golds), peeled and chopped

Salt & pepper, to taste

2 Bay leaves

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 pieces of dried shitake mushrooms (optional)

A few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce, to taste

1. Put all of the sofrito ingredients into a food processor or chop them down incredibly fine. You want it to almost turn into a paste while it cooks.

2. Into a pot, pour the olive oil and let heat through. Once the oil is hot, add in the chopped vegetables. Stir until they start to soften and then place a lid on to let them fully cook down. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring every 10 or so minutes. Once the carrots turn to a dark orange color and everything is extremely soft, your sofrito is ready. Set aside half for a later time.

3. Add in your stew meat to brown and create a fond. Season everything liberally with salt and pepper.

4. Once the meat pieces are browned and starting to get crispy, add in the anchovy and tomato pastes. Cook until the tomato paste turns a dark red and starts to carmelize.

5. When everything in the pot is starting to get toasty, pour in the red wine and scrape up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add in the beef broth.

6. Once all of the liquid is in the pot, place the potatoes and all the seasonings.

7. Bring up to a boil and reduce it to a simmer. Place the lid on the pot and cook continuously for a couple of hours, until the pieces of meat are perfectly tender. If there is ever a point where you want more broth, add in some water and a bit of salt to get it to the consistency your heart desires.

8. Serve with some fresh bread and enjoy!