It has been a long time since I last posted and I was thinking of what will be best to post next. Today, we make two years since my grandmother passed away and she is the one who was teaching me how to cook when I was only 7 years old. For that reason, I decided to post her favourite recipe that she was cooking for us when we were all getting together for celebrating her and my granddad birthdays. Whenever you are grandma my house smells of your today. Miss you !
Directions
- Begin by removing any large chunks of fat that are easy to get to (like the one my knife is pointing to below), but don’t overdo it with the trimming, as the fat helps make the beef tender.
- Next, season the meat generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat a bit of oil in a large soup pot and brown the meat in batches.
- This step is a bit time-consuming but browning the meat adds depth and dimension to the stew. (Note: it’s important not to crowd the pan — if you try to brown all the meat at once, it will steam instead of sear and you won’t get all that lovely color and flavor.)
- Remove the meat and add the onions, carrots, garlic, and balsamic vinegar to the pan. The vinegar will loosen all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and add flavor.
- Cook until the vegetables are softened, then add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more.
- Add the beef back into the pan and sprinkle with the flour.
- Stir until the flour is dissolved.
- Add the wine, broth, water, thyme, bay leaves, and sugar.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and braise in the oven for 4 hours.
- You can serve with mash potatoes or boiled rice. Enjoy !