Red Wine Beef Stew with Carrots and Potatoes – A classic favourite

Bring some delicious French flavours to your home with this red wine beef stew with carrots and potatoes. This classic recipe is a hearty dish that instantly conjures a sense of nostalgia and a longing for home. Known as “Bœuf Bourguignon” in French, this recipe is loved all over the world and adjusted in each culture.

With this red wine beef stew recipe, you cannot be in a hurry. As the saying goes, “good things take time”. The beef slowly simmers for at least two hours while enveloped in a rich, bubbling wine sauce. And that is when the delicious infusion of flavour takes place. The meat becomes meltingly tender while injected by a depth of flavour beyond imagination.

You can use any beef cut to prepare this red wine beef stew but brisket is usually the best cut to use. It is very important to sear the beef before you start with the rest of the cooking process. That way, the meat will maintain its juiciness. If you do not want to use red wine, you can replace it with beef stock, although the red wine adds another dimension of flavour to the dish.

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Red Wine Beef Stew with Carrots and Potatoes

Recipe by Irene Muller Course: MainCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

2

hours 

30

minutes

Total time

2

hours 

50

minutes

Ingredients

• 800 g boneless beef (well-marbled), sliced in cubes

• freshly ground black pepper

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 medium onions, sliced in chunks

• 6 cloves garlic, sliced and chopped

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1½ tablespoons tomato paste

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

• 2 cups dry red wine

• 2 cups rich beef stock

• 2 cups water

• 4 bay leaves

• small bunch of fresh thyme, chopped

• 1 cup small carrots

• 500 g small potatoes, peeled and cut in halves

• fresh parsley, for garnishing

Method

• Pat the beef dry and season with the salt and pepper. 
• In a large heavy based pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. 
• Sear the meat in batches on both sides, for about 5 minutes per batch. Add one tablespoon oil for each batch. To sear the meat properly, do not overcrowd the pan and let the meat develop a nice brown crust before turning. Set aside.
• Add the onions, garlic and balsamic vinegar into the pan. Stir with a wooden spoon and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, for about 5 minutes. 
• Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more. 
• Add the beef with its sauce back to the pan and sprinkle with the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. 
• Add the wine, beef stock, water, bay leaves and thyme. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, turn down the heat and simmer for at least 2 hours.  Check from time to time to ensure the meat does not burn.
• After 2 hours, add the prepared carrots and potatoes. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked, the sauce has thickened and the meat is tender. 
• Season if necessary.

Notes

• Serve with fresh bread or rice.

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