Beef Stew

I had a cold all last week complete with nasty hacking cough. By later the middle of last week, my husband felt like he was coming down with the same thing (sans hacking cough). We passed on our original plans for Saturday night and stayed in so we didn't get anyone else sick. The last thing anyone wants to do is hang out with a hacking germ-ridden friend and her potentially just has germ-ridden husband.

I had bought ingredients to make beef stew later in the week in the crockpot but since we stayed in Saturday night I decided to make it then. I always make stew in the crockpot but I'd had this Martha Stewart recipe tagged for quite some time and decided to go this route instead. It was delicious! I didn't make any modifications really except for the fact that I thought I had tomato paste and only realized after I opened the can that it was actually tomato sauce. I used it anyway and the only effect it probably had was to make the liquid part of the stew a little more liquidy (which I actually prefer). Oh and I left the bay leaf out - otherwise I pretty much followed this to a T. This one is definitely a keeper!

Beef Stew
(from marthastewart.com)

3 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound medium onions (about 2), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound small white or red new potatoes (about 6), well scrubbed, halved if large
1 pound carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a Dutch oven (5-quart) with a tight-fitting lid, combine beef, tomato paste, vinegar, and flour; season with salt and pepper.

Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and if desired, season with salt and pepper before serving.