Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

We have had an incredibly mild winter to date, with not even a dusting of snow, so my typical meals of turkey chili, chicken pot pie, and lasagna have not taken their usual place in the dinner rotation. However, winter finally made its mark here this past weekend, when the chilly winds and below-freezing temperatures encouraged us to keep the fire place burning and inspired some hearty beef stew in the slow cooker.

Here's the thing about cooking chicken, beef, or pork in the slow cooker: the recipes that require some work beforehand are often the ones that yield the best results. Yes, slow cookers are designed to make cooking less laborious and more convenient, but slow heat will not deliver the same results as a skillet or a high-heat oven. When slow-cooking a dish for which you want the meat to fall apart, such as shredded pork shoulder for barbeque rolls or green-chile chicken for enchiladas, the slow cooker can be your best friend. However, when slow-cooking a dish like chicken wings, for which you want the meat to stay on the bone, you may end up with a bowl full of meat and bones (as happened to me a few weeks ago).

How to solve this slow-cooker problem? Brown the meat beforehand, of course! Yes, it requires a little extra work, but the outcome truly is worth it. Peruse the comments section of most slow-cooker recipes online and you'll find a chorus of voices on the topic. I am so convinced that a little extra work outside of the cooker yields better results in the cooker that I have become weary of recipes that require nothing more than tossing a medley of raw meat, a seasoning packet, and other ingredients into the cooker and pressing "start" (again, pork shoulder being one notable exception).

So, onto the beef stew. The beauty of beef stew (which I admittedly prepare only once or twice a year) is that you can make it your own by adding a broad variety of vegetables, from the standard carrots and yukon gold potatoes to the more seasonal parsnips and rutabaga. For this go-round, I used a mix of small purple, red and gold potatoes, baby carrots, and pearl onions. I had every intention of including peas, which are added at the end of the hours-long cooking cycle, but it skipped my mind in the moment. Yes, I browned the meat beforehand, and I think it made all the difference.

*SLOW-COOKER BEEF STEW* (adapted from Real Simple)
Yields 4-6 servings
Ingredients
2 pounds bottom round, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup olive oil
3 ounces tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 cups beef broth
1 pound small potatoes
1/2 pound baby carrots
1/2 pound pearl onions
3/4 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1 T each: dried basil & oregano (or a bouquet of fresh oregano & thyme, tied with cooking twine)
1-2 bay leaves
Salt & pepper

Season the beef cuts with salt and pepper; place into a large ziploc bag with the flour. Close the bag and shake to fully cover beef with flour. Prepare a medium-hot skillet with olive oil and add the beef to the pan, making sure to brown all four sides of each piece and adding more oil if necessary. When browned, transfer the beef to the slow cooker. Reduce skillet heat slightly and add tomato paste and red wine to the pan, stirring first to combine and then to deglaze the pan of any remaining flour coating. Transfer skillet contents to the slow cooker and remove from heat.

To the slow cooker, add the beef broth, vegetables and spices, plus salt and pepper to taste. Stir gently to combine, cover, and cook on high heat for four (4) hours or low heat for seven (7) hours. When the cooking cycle ends, remove the bay leaves and herb bouquet (if used) and stir in the peas until heated through. Serve in a big bowl on a chilly winter night!