The Martha Stewart Recipe I Make Every Single Fall

Bonus: You don't have to brown the beef.

As a decade-long resident of New York City, I’m a sucker for the fall season. Coming from my home state of Florida, where the year-round forecast is indefinitely hot and humid, getting to experience all four seasons is by far my favorite part of living up north.

As summer comes to a close, I can’t help but get excited to start making my favorite fall recipes. My absolute go-to as of late is Martha Stewart’s Beef Stew, which employs just a handful of impactful ingredients and only requires 15 minutes of prep work. It’s simple, hearty and reliable. I’ve always looked up to Martha for her timeless approach to cooking, which she exemplifies to a T in her classic beef stew recipe.  

How To Make Martha Stewart’s Beef Stew

Martha's beef stew takes a streamlined approach by skipping browning the meat. I prefer this technique as it speeds up the prep time. I like to start by prepping all of my ingredients first, then I combine everything in my Dutch oven all at once:

Preheat the oven to 350°F, then prepare three pounds of beef chuck by trimming it of its fat and cutting the pieces into 1 1/2-inch cubes. Dump the beef, 1/3 cup tomato paste, three tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, and two tablespoons of flour into a Dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper, then mix until combined.

Add a pound of chopped carrots, two diced onions, six halved small red potatoes, six smashed garlic cloves, two bay leaves, and three cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil, then cover with a lid and transfer it to the oven.

The stew will take 2  to 2 1/2 hours to cook; you’ll know it's ready when the beef is beautifully tender. After the pot has been carefully removed from the oven, take out the bay leaves and serve hot with garlic bread. 

What I Love Most About This Beef Stew

My favorite part of this recipe is what I consider to be its secret ingredient: balsamic vinegar. There’s just enough added to the mix to bring a rich and complex sweetness to each bite that is truly unmistakable.

I make this recipe shine with one small addition: garlic chili sauce. Just two tablespoons give this already warm and cozy recipe an extra kick of heat without completely overpowering the savory flavor of the stew itself.

Tips for Making This Beef Stew

• Martha’s recipe suggests adding just three cups of water to help create the broth. I’ve found it useful to add nearly two extra cups of water. I add a 4th cup of water before bringing the pot to a boil and later add another cup halfway through the cooking process when I notice the levels seem a bit low.

• Plenty of simple substitutions can be considered. For example, I prefer using red potatoes, but white potatoes and sweet potatoes will also work just fine. You can also add rice, celery, parsnip, rutabaga, and turnips for extra flavor and texture, as well as beef stock to enhance the overall recipe. Have fun experimenting to make this stew truly your own.
  

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Read the original article on Simply Recipes.