1 day Ago By Angela Patrone
Beef stew isn’t just a winter recipe , you can also enjoy this hearty meal on a lazy spring evening when you don’t feel like cooking much. It’s endlessly customisable and you can add in whatever veggies you have stored in your fridge drawer or the pantry, from potatoes and carrots to chunks of cabbage and mushrooms. This dish can easily be paired with a crusty loaf of bread, rice or some creamy mash.
While some recipes call on secret ingredients to make the best beef stew, some chefs argue that it comes down to one simple step. According to the foodies at Simply Recipes, searing your beef — preferably cuts like chuck roast, short ribs, or brisket — before stewing is a “step all of the chefs agreed you should never skip”. Italian-born chef based in New York City and owner of Red Inside Catering explained: “Searing is like building the foundation of a house — you can’t skip it if you want the whole thing to hold up.
It develops a huge depth of flavour that you can’t get any other way.” You should never throw your raw cubes of beef right into the stew pot. You must sear the cubes first in a pan to brown them and begin building that rich flavour.
It’s important not to brown them too lightly — sear them until there’s a dark crust on each side of the meat cubes. You’ll probably have to sear the cubes in batches to get the desired result, as too many cubes in the stew pot at once will result in grey meat instead of darkly seared. When searing, make sure the beef is dry because if the surface is damp, it won’t brown properly, and you’ll miss out on that gorgeous crust.
A quick pat with paper towels before searing ensures your beef gets that rich, caramelized coating you aim for. A bonus of searing the meat before making the stew is the brown bits left in the pan. Chef and co-founder of The Food Society, Christopher Atwood, pointed out: “Those caramelised bits, known as fond in French cooking, form a savoury backbone for the stew’s sauce.
” Pour red wine into the pan after removing the meat, keeping the burner on low while scraping the browned bits with a wooden spoon, letting the wine simmer and reduce..
