Beef Stew the Old Fashioned Way

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs defatted beef roast, cut in 3/4 in. chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 large onion (about 2 cups)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 cup red wine

• 3 (14 ounce) cans low sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce or low sodium soy sauce
• 1 bay leaf, broken in half
• 3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices (1 1/2 cups)
• 3 red potatoes, cut into 1 ' cubes (3-4 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen butter beans
• 1 1/2 cups green beans
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen green pea
• 14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes, drained (optional)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

1. 1

   Dry meat chunks and season with salt and pepper.

2. 2

   Brown in olive oil, in 2 batches, remove from pot and set aside.

3. 3

   Add onion, garlic and thyme to pot and lightly brown (Add more oil if necessary).

4. 4

   Deglaze pot with red wine.

5. 5

   To pot, add beef broth, hoisin or soy sauce and bay leaf.

6. 6

   Cover pot and simmer about 2 hours or until meat is fork tender.

7. 7

   Remove 1/4 cup of the broth and set aside.

8. 8

   Add potatoes, carrots, butter beans, green beans, corn, peas and tomatoes if using.

9. 9

   Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

10. 10

    Add cornstarch to reserved broth, mix with a fork an add to pot, stirring until thickened.

11. 11

    Adjust seasonings to taste.