Beef stew for you

Mike Brunson wants you to try a bottle of Merlot and so do I.   To help you enjoy this taste challenge, I offer up this delicious beef stew recipe.   A perfect pairing for a rainy November evening.  Let me know what you think about the Merlot, the stew and the pairing.   I loved it a little to much, but that is a story for another day.

Thank you winemaker Mike for the wine and wife Bethany for the stew recipe.  Enjoy.

Beef Stew with Michel-Schlumberger Merlot.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
2 lbs stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 large garlic cloves, minced

6 cups beef stock or beef broth

2 cups Michel-Schlumberger Merlot

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

5 sprigs thyme

1 1/2 Worcestershire sauce

4 bay leaves

1/4 stick butter

3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups 1/2 pieces peepled carrots

salt and pepper

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp Maggi sauce (Worcestershire if you can’t find)

Method

1. Marinate beef in 2 tbsp of Maggi sauce, 1 tbsp salt.  Combine ingredients into a zip lock bag and set aside while you prep.

2. Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat.  Add beef and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and saute 1 minute.  Add tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire and bay leaves.  Stir to combine,  cook about 3-4 minutes.  Add beef stock and wine, bring mixture to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

3. While the meat and stock is simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat.  Add potatoes, onion and carrots,  Saute vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes.  Set aside until beef stew in step 2 has simmered for 1 hour.

4. Add vegetable to beef stew.  Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves.  Tilt pan and spoon off some fat.  Transfer to serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve with a glass of Michel-Schlumberger Merlot, fresh bread or biscuits.  Go ahead and open another bottle of Merlot right about now.  Enjoy.

And we’d appreciate more Merlot recipes if you’d like to share!  Post yours below.