This beef stew is one of my favorite recipes as it can be a delicious family meal or perfect as a main dish for a dinner party. It takes about 2 - 2.5 hours to cook, but with not much of an involvement required. Just make sure you are around the house while cooking, for an occasional stir and check.
Ingredients for 4:
Stew beef chunks (preferably grass fed) - 2-3 pounds
3 medium red onions
4 medium carrots
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 garlic cloves
Medium bunch of cilantro and parsley
Georgian Ajika Seasoning (sold at Trader Joe's)
Salt and olive oil for cooking
Method: brown 1.5-2 inch cubed meat chunks in oil in a frying pan from all sides, then move to the Dutch oven. Keep the pan with the oil and fried bits for later. Add 2 thinly sliced half circle onions to the same pot, mix well, cover with lid, reduce heat to low and slow cook for about 1.5 hours. Check periodically, if the juice evaporates, add a bit or water.
At 1.5 hour mark, fry peeled and roughly chopped (1/2 inch circles) carrots in the same frying pan as used for browning the beef. Fry for about 5 minutes (if you have leftover baby carrots, which I always do, this is an opportunity to use them!). Add one finely chopped onion, garlic and tomato paste and fry another few minutes. Don’t cook carrots fully.
Add all of this to the pot with meat, add boiling water just enough to cover all the content of the pot. Add salt, pepper, 2 teaspoons of Georgian Ajika seasoning, and cook another 20 min. At this point meat should be very tender, if not, keep cooking until it is. Then add generous bunch of chopped cilantro and parsley, check for salt, and cook another 10 min until all the green herb flavors are absorbed. Enjoy a heartwarming and delicious meal.
P.S. If you like the stew to be a bit thicker, then add 2 tbsp flour mixed with 1/2 cup cold water at the same time as chopped cilantro and parsley 🌿