Hearty Beef Stew

We love beef stew in our family, especially in the fall and winter months when chilly weather calls for cozy comfort food.  This is my favorite beef stew recipe. Adding Kary's Original Roux instead of a little extra flour for thickening the broth gave it a delicious, deep flavor. Don't forget to make some biscuits to serve with it!


Hearty Beef Stew
by Susan

2 1/2 to 3 pound beef roast, cut into 1-inch cubes, or equal amount of pre-cubed stew beef
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
8 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 ribs of celery, sliced
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cups beef broth
2-3 teaspoons kosher salt (to your taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup Kary's "Original" Roux

Coat beef cubes with flour and set aside. Prep all the veggies and set aside. In a Dutch oven or a large pot, heat the olive oil. In batches, brown beef on all sides, adding a little more oil between each batch if you need to. When each batch is done, transfer to a bowl or plate. When the last batch is browned, add all of the beef back into the Dutch oven or pot, add the carrots, celery, potatoes and garlic. Pour in beef broth and stir in salt, pepper, paprika and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Now add in the Kary's "Original" Roux (I used a small whisk as I was adding it) and lightly boil for about 10 minutes. 

Cover pot and let stew simmer for a couple of hours, until the meat is tender, the veggies are done and broth is thickened. Taste broth occasionally and adjust the seasoning to your liking (even add a little bit more roux if you would like). Serve with homemade biscuits or some really great crusty bread.

**Tip...I don't usually care for the packaged stew meat I find at my local market. I like to choose a cut of roast and cube it myself. I find that the meat is more tender, and it's usually less expensive than pre-packaged stew meat (and who doesn't like to save a penny or two?)