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Really, it was! It took a while to make but it was definitely a labor of love – I’m definitely keeping this recipe for a fancy dinner party or a romantic evening in. It’s hearty and perfect for the cold weather that’s been attacking many parts of the country lately. The original recipe from Cooking Light called for it to be served over egg noodles but because Grant loves garlic mashed potatoes I used them instead – it worked brilliantly.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup dried porcini mushrooms (they come in ½oz bags, and one is perfect);
- 1 cup boiling water;
- 1½ pounds lean beef stew meat cut into 1 inch pieces (Whole Foods had their organic farm raised beef pre cut like this, it was perfect!);
- 1 tsp salt;
- 1 tsp black pepper;
- 2 tbsp olive oil;
- 1½ cup pearl onions;
- 8 cups chopped cremini mushrooms;
- 2 cups sliced carrots;
- 2 cups fat free, low sodium beef broth;
- ¾ cup dry red wine (I used Merlot);
- 6-8 thyme sprigs, or more to your liking;
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed;
- 4 bay leaves;
- 2 tbsp water;
- 2 tbsp cornstarch.
Recipe Directions
- Place porcini mushrooms and boiling water in a small bowl and let stand 30 minutes. Drain the mushrooms (but reserve the liquid!) and chop; set aside.
- Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large dutch oven over medium high heat and add half of beef – sautee until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from dutch oven and repeat with remining beef.
- Add pearl onions to pan, sautee 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add cremini mushrooms adn carrots and sautee until mushrooms are tender, 5-8 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure top mushrooms get browned as well, there will be lots! Add beef, porcini mushrooms and liquid, salt and pepper to taste, broth and next 4 ingredients (through bay leaves). Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 1½ hours and then uncover and cook for 20 minutes.
- In a small bowl combine 2 tbsp water with cornstarch. Add to pan and bring mixture back to a boil. Cook until liquid has thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Serve in bowls with garlic mashed potatoes or egg noodles, and enjoy!
Note: I don’t really have a recipe for my garlic mashed potatoes but Grant and I really love them. I boil yukon golds or sometimes even a nice medley of reds, golds and russets. When potatoes are poked with a fork and the fork slides through smoothly I drain them and add them to a large bowl. I always mash with a fork (a masher makes them too smooth, and we like lumps!) and add milk and butter until it’s the desired chunkiness – we like it lumpy so it doesn’t take much. Finally, I add salt, pepper, LOTS of roasted garlic and minced garlic to taste. It’s hard to write a recipe for something that’s done mostly via taste testing and feel – it’s never exactly the same but always produces amazing results. Ask if you need more direction on awesome mashed potatoes!
Note: I feel terrible because I promised weekend pictures and haven’t posted them. My card reader has become defective and I’m getting a new one tomorrow, so you will see photos then, I promise!
