Hearty Beef Stew

Instructions

1. Slice the onions and mince the garlic. Melt the butter on medium heat in a large pot. Once it’s bubbling, add the onion and garlic. Stir to coat in the butter, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Leave the onion for several minutes at a time so it can brown, but don’t let it burn! This should take about 30 minutes or more for truly caramelized onions.
2. While the onions are cooking, prep the remaining ingredients: peel and dice the potatoes, carrots and celery. Rinse the fresh herbs and pat dry with a paper towel. Dice the steak into bite-sized pieces, blot dry with a paper towel, and toss in spice mix until well-coated.
3. Remove the caramelized onions from the pot and set them aside. Raise the heat to high and once the pot is smoking hot, add the cubed, spiced beef (bite-sized pieces). Fry until well coloured, then remove and set aside. Leave any fond (or the dark bits of the meat that stick to the bottom of the pot). Reduce heat to medium.
4. Add the potatoes with 1/4 cup of stock. Cover and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the carrots and another 1/4 cup of stock and allow to simmer, then cover for 5 minutes more. Finally, add the remaining stock, celery, peas, onions, beef, tomato paste and herbs. Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer until thickened and potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally.
5. I love this on its own with a crisp baguette or cheesy mashed potatoes or vegetable noodles (celeriac, zucchini or squash).