Old Fashioned Beef Stew

Well I've been kind of busy and haven't posted in quite a while but hopefully things will slow a bit and I can get back on track. Cool weather is upon us and it's time for some soups and stews. Today we will make a hearty beef stew. I think you will find this easy to make and well worth the effort. You will need a 7 quart sauce pan preferably with a heavy bottom. Now you can buy a roast and chunk it up yourself but you will find it to be a lot less work if you buy stew meat already cut. If you go to a store with a meat department such as Fareway or Tom's you will get a better quality than if not. Let's list ingredients.

Beef stew meat                                                   2 pounds
Salad oil                                                             2 Tbsp
Yellow onion, large diced                                    1 large
Carrots, peeled and cut in coins                          4 medium
Celery, chopped                                                 1 bunch
Diced tomatoes, petite                                         1-14.5 ounce can
Beef broth                                                          3-14.5 ounce cans
Italian seasoning                                                  1 Tbsp
Black Pepper, fresh ground                                  to taste
Garlic Powder                                                     2 Tbsp
Parsley flakes                                                      2 Tbsp
Cayenne pepper                                                  pinch
Cornstarch slurry to thicken

Heat your pan with medium high heat. Add the salad oil and the stew meat and cook until the meat is fully browned. While the meat is browning you can add all the seasonings. I didn't use any salt in this recipe as beef broth is usually rather salty but if you must go ahead and add a little as needed. Once the meat is browned add the vegetables and let them cook a little. When the onions are starting to turn translucent add the tomatoes and the beef broth. Mix this all well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour and one half or until the meat is nice and tender. If you feel that there isn't enough liquid you can always add a little water.  At this point you want to make a slurry with cornstarch and water. For this amount I would mix 1/3 cup of cornstarch with 1/3 cup of water. Add this mixture to the simmering stew, I usually add about 1/2 and check the thickness then add more as needed. After you achieve the desired thickness let the stew simmer for about 10 minutes and serve. Pair this up with some buttermilk biscuits or cornbread and you have a great meal that everyone is sure to enjoy!!!