Beef Stew with Carrots and Turnips
Spring is just around the corner, so I’m taking advantage of the last remains of winter to get in my stew quota for the season. Stews frequently make it into my recipe rotation because I like that I can make them entirely in advance and reheat at my pleasure. I’m sharing this particular stew because while many of you may enjoy the peppery sharpness of turnip, it’s not my favorite vegetable. So why on earth would I make a beef stew with carrots and turnips? It’s mostly because I like to find ways to get myself to eat my not-favorites as much as possible, because I believe that it’s important to have a good amount of variety in our diets. This stew was a nice surprise because it doesn’t taste like turnip! Eat on, turnip-phobes, eat on.
N.b. If it’s more convenient to cook this on the stove than in the oven, simmer for the same amount of time.
Beef Stew with Carrots and Turnips
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 lb (500g) beef stewing meat, seasoned with salt and pepper
1/2 bottle red wine
several beef bones
1 bunch parsley, leaves set aside for serving, stalks used for a bouquet garni
5 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
3 carrots, cut into large chunks
1 turnip, cut into large chunks
Preheat oven to 285˚ Fahrenheit (140˚ Celsius). Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven* over medium-high heat. When butter foams, add the onions, garlic, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes, turning down the heat, if necessary, to keep vegetables from browning. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute.
Add the stew meat to the pan and brown on all sides before pouring in the wine and adding the bones (this will give lots of flavor to the dish and add vital nutrients). Make a bouquet garni of the parsley stalks, thyme, and bay and add to the pot. Throw in the carrots and turnip and then add enough water to the pot so that everything is covered by a couple of inches. Bring to a boil.
When the stew comes to a boil, put the lid on the pot and put it in the oven for 4 hours, stirring every hour or so. Remove bones and bouquet garni and serve stew strewn with chopped parsley leaves.
Serves 4
Adapted from Hemsley & Hemsley: Beef Stew at vogue.co.uk.
If you don’t have a good butcher, bones can be purchased at Asian markets.
*The one I use is the 9 1/2 – quart oval French oven from Le Creuset. It’s worth every penny.
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