Earthy Comfort Food – Beef, Leek, & Mushroom Stew

We had a brief spell of warm weather over the past week and a half or so, but we are back to more typical weather for November in our area. So, more warming comfort food is in order.

Today’s offering is a beef stew which is enhanced with the addition of leeks and mushrooms. which all complement each other well in this dish. Red wine helps to tenderize the beef and adds some full-bodied flavor to the stew. Topped off with a touch of sweetness from the carrots, and we have a delicious and wonderfully flavorful stew for Fall. We serve it with some toasty bread and butter, but the stew can also be served over rice or mashed potatoes.

Beef, Leek, & Mushroom Stew

Beef, Leek, & Mushroom Stew (adapted from thespruceeats.com) Total Time Required: 2 hours & 30 minutes, Prep Time: 30 minutes, Cook Time: 2 hours, Makes: 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound rump steak, into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 large shallots, quartered
  • 3 large cloves garlic, halved
  • 2 medium leeks, trimmed, washed, roughly sliced
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 3 cups beef stock, hot
  • 10 ounces carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 5 ounces baby button mushrooms

Trim, wash, and roughly chop the leeks.

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt and pepper. Set the mixture aside. Pat the beef chunks dry with a paper towel. Preheat the oven to 300º F.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Add the beef to the pan, stirring the meat constantly with a spatula.

Brown the beef chunks.

Once the meat has browned all over, remove it to a bowl and add the seasoned flour. Stir the beef to lightly coat all the pieces.

Add the seasoned flour to the beef.

Place the flour-coated beef into a Dutch oven and set the pot aside.

Add the beef to the Dutch oven.

Return the sauté pan to the heat and add the shallots, garlic, and leeks to it. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

Sauté the shallots, garlic, and leeks in the sauté pan.

Add the vegetables into the Dutch oven with the beef. Set it aside.

Add the veggies to the Dutch oven with the beef.

With the sauté pan on the heat, add the wine to it and boil it down to reduce it by two-thirds. Whisk the reduced wine constantly and slowly add 2 cups of the hot stock to it.

Combine the wine and broth in the sauté pan.

Pour the wine and stock mixture over the beef and vegetables and stir well. Add the carrot chunks and bay leaf to the Dutch oven and stir it briefly.

Pour the wine & stock mixture over the beef and add the carrots and bay leaf.

Cover the Dutch oven and place it in the preheated oven. Cook the stew for 90 minutes, checking every so often, adding some of the remaining beef stock to the pot if it has gone dry. After 90 minutes have passed, carefully take the pot out of the oven and add the button mushrooms to the stew.

Add the mushrooms to the stew.

Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed/desired. Return the pot to the oven, and cook for another 30 minutes. Serve the stew with bread, over rice, or over mashed potatoes.

The stew is ready!

This stew will keep us warm all cold weather season long!  ~Linda

Beef, Leek, & Mushroom Stew (adapted from thespruceeats.com) Total Time Required: 2 hours & 30 minutes, Prep Time: 30 minutes, Cook Time: 2 hours, Makes: 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound rump steak, into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 large shallots, quartered
  • 3 large cloves garlic, halved
  • 2 medium leeks, trimmed, washed, roughly sliced
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 3 cups beef stock, hot
  • 10 ounces carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 5 ounces baby button mushrooms

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt and pepper. Set the mixture aside. Pat the beef chunks dry with a paper towel. Preheat the oven to 300º F.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Add the beef to the pan, stirring the meat constantly with a spatula. Once it has browned all over, remove the beef to a bowl and add the seasoned flour. Stir the beef to lightly coat all the pieces. Place the flour-coated beef in a Dutch oven and set the pot aside.

Return the sauté pan to the heat and add the shallots, garlic, and leeks to it. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the vegetables to the Dutch oven with the beef. Set it aside.

With the sauté pan on the heat, add the wine to it and boil it down to reduce it by two-thirds. Whisk the reduced wine constantly and slowly add 2 cups of the hot stock to it. Pour the wine and stock mixture over the beef and vegetables and stir well. Add the carrot chunks and bay leaf to the Dutch oven and briefly stir it.

Cover the Dutch oven and place it in the preheated oven. Cook the stew for 90 minutes, checking every so often, adding some of the remaining beef stock to the pot if it has gone dry. After 90 minutes have passed, carefully take the pot out of the oven and add the button mushrooms to the stew. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired/needed. Return the pot to the oven, and cook for another 30 minutes. Serve the stew with bread, over rice, or over mashed potatoes.