What Do You Like In Your Beef Stew? (powder, onions, mushroom)

[Naturen]

As a base, some kind of beef (usually depends on what's on sale) worcestershire sauce, potatoes, carrots, celery, Bay leaf, garlic and onion with varying herbs. From there, I may add any of the following: red wine, canned tomatoes, steak sauce, peas, green beans and parsnips. The herbs used are usually parsley, oregano, thyme and basil.

[SXMGirl]

Usually DH makes the stew and he uses beef tips, pearl onions, carrots, and potatoes, and he likes to make it a little spicy. If I am making it, I also add peas to mine because that is how I had it growing up. We like a nice rich gravy and sometimes will had Guinness or wine.

[maggie2101]

Beef, beef stock, Worcestershire, bay leaf, carrots, red potatoes, onion, celery, rutabaga, rosemary, and thyme.

[Redraven]

Beef.
Everything else is just "window dressing".
However, no turnips or parsnips, EVER!!

[gentlearts]

I agree with OP. Beef, carrots, potatoes, (sometimes turnip), onions, celery, thyme, bay leaf, water and broth, salt and pepper. Sometimes, if I want to change it up a bit, I'll add a can of diced tomatoes, or some red wine.

[jay5835]

I make spezzatino alla fiorentino, from Giuliano Bugialli's first book, The Fine Art of Italian Cooking. It's actually Florentine cooking, FWIW. The spezzatino features onion, celery, carrot, fresh basil, olive oil, beef chuck, red wine, canned tomatoes, hot red pepper flakes, and S&P. It's delicious.

[magicshark]

I like all the basics in a beef broth. I'll eat the tomato based kind but it isn't really beef stew to me. What I do really love that no one has mentioned is sliced green olives. So good in beef stew.

[in_newengland]

Tomato doesn't belong in beef stew. I just like it the regular way--beef, beef stock, bay leaf, onions, carrots, potatoes, peas, sometimes a turnip.

[Dirt Grinder]

My beef stew is the same recipe as my braised short ribs (unless it's Irish Stew)...

Three-four pounds of short ribs (or beef roast)
Three cups red wine
Two cups chicken stock (only use beef stock if you make it yourself or you find a brand you like)
Two medium yellow onions (chopped)
Four cloves garlic (minced)
Three ribs of celery
Three medium carrots
Several sprigs of FRESH thyme (don't use that dried stuff - it tastes like diesel fuel)
Two bay leaves
One pound sliced mushrooms
Two tablespoons tomato paste
Two tablespoons flour
Some cooking oil
Salt/pepper to taste

Some of you may like to add some oregano and/or rosemary (I add a bit of each when I do this recipe with chicken).

Brown the short ribs (beef roast) in hot oil then place ribs in crock pot.
Sauté the chopped onions, sliced carrots, garlic, and sliced celery in the pan you browned the ribs and cook until the onions are tender.
Add flour and tomato paste to the vegetable mix and stir to incorporate.
Add some of the wine to the vegetable mix to deglaze the pan.
Pour the vegetable mix over the ribs in the crockpot.
Add the remaining wine and chicken stock to the crockpot.
Add thyme and bay leaves to the crockpot.
Brown the mushroom slices in hot oil then add them to the crockpot.
Set the crockpot on low and cook for 6-8 hours.

Serve over boiled red potatoes that have been fork-crushed in bottom of serving dish.

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

I was at the diner today and the special was beef stew. I hesitated because their stew is so weird. To me, a beef stew has beef, potatoes, carrots, pepper, celery and bay leaf, period dot. To them, it appears to have a heavy tomato sauce and a proprietary blend of herbs -- I see curled parsley, maybe basil in there, quite a few I can't identify, as if the beef stew I think of as familiar had been tragically drowned in an industrial tomato-sauce spill.

Is this just an average beef stew in other people's opinions? What are your special touches?

The only thing I add that is not the traditional ingredients is the Gourmet Crockery seasoning packet, otherwise it is beef, potatoes, carrots, peas, corn, green beans, beef stock.