Saturday, May 22, 2010

Baked Beef Stew with Carrots

This oven stew takes time to cook, but it doesn’t demand much attention.

2 ½ pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium-size onions, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups beef broth
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dry thyme
4 cups ¼ inch-thick carrot slices
Salt and pepper
About 6 cups hot mashed potatoes

In a shallow 3- to 3 1/2-quart casserole, mix beef and onions. Bake in a 450 degrees oven, stirring occasionally, until meat is well browned (40 to 45 minutes). Remove from oven. Sprinkle meat mixture with flour; stir gently to coat. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a 1 ½-quart pan, bring broth vinegar, thyme and the 1 teaspoon pepper to boil. Add to meat and onions, stirring to scrape browned bits free. Stir in carrots. Cover tightly and bake until meat is very tender when pierced (1 ½ to 2 more hours). If stew is soupy, uncover and continue to bake to reduce liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper; serve with potatoes. Makes 6 servings.