Mushroom Beef Stew

Baby, it’s cold out there! Finally! Not that I really want it to be frigid, but when else do you have the excuse to indulge in rib-sticking, hearty dishes, like this rich Mushroom Beef Stew?!! One bowl is guaranteed to chase away the chills!!

Over the years, I’ve often found myself declaring that stew really isn’t one of my favorites and then I find myself looking down at an empty plate. Ha! I think it might just be the sound of the word “stew” (not the most euphonious, right?) that leads me to my sweeping generalization, cause after serving this for dinner, I found myself heading to the pot for seconds!

Part of that is because this particular version is just loaded with mushrooms, which I love but I know many people just don’t—fungiphobes you should probably just click here right now.

But if mushrooms make your heart sing, read on, because this is not only chock full of both the regular button and cremini variety—

There are also dried shitake mushrooms in there too!

Honestly, you can’t go a bite without spearing some sort of mushroom on your fork! YUM!!

And it comes together fairly easily and makes a nice big pot so you are kind of guaranteed to have leftovers, which is always a big win-win in my mind!

Tender chunks of beef, a rich, flavorful sauce that gets enhanced with tomato paste, Dijon mustard, soy sauce and an entire bottle of red wine (hello!) and you’ve got yourself a winter weather comfort meal that is sure to please. Pair it with rice, noodles or mashed potatoes and you’ve got comfort food at its finest!! Stay warm, my friends!

And FYI—if you’re looking for ideas on how to buy wine or join a wine club that fits your lifestyle, check out this very informative post:  https://www.consumersadvocate.org/wine-clubs.

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Mushroom Beef Stew

Makes at least 8 servings

Prep Time: 45 minutes; Cook Time: About 1 ½ hours

Ingredients

• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces and patted dry with paper towels

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• 3 pounds of mushrooms (I used a mix of white button and cremini), cut into quarters or just in half if small

• 1 large yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

• 3 garlic cloves minced

• 2 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour

• ¼ cup tomato paste

• 1 bottle (750ml) good red wine you would drink (I used Merlot)

• 2 dried shitake or porcini mushrooms

• ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

The Recipe

1. Place a large heavy pot over medium high heat and heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil. While the oil is heating, season the beef well with salt and pepper. Add half of it to the hot oil and let brown very well on all sides, turning the pieces as needed with tongs. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the browned pieces to a plate and repeat with the other half.

2. Pour all the fat out of the pot and add another 2 tablespoons of the oil to the pot over medium-high heat. Add half of the white and cremini mushrooms and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mushrooms release their liquid and most of that liquid evaporates and the mushrooms get well browned. Transfer to a plate and repeat the process with 2 more tablespoons of the oil and the rest of the mushrooms. Transfer the second batch to the plate.

3. Add the onions, garlic and pinch of salt and pepper to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring every now and then, until the onions have softened and are beginning to brown, about 8-10 minutes. Add the flour, and tomato paste and stir for about 2 minutes, until the pot is pretty dry. Then add the wine, turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.

4. Lower the heat to a simmer and add back in the beef and the dried mushrooms. Give it a big stir and cover the pot, letting the meat simmer for about 1 ½ hours until the beef is fall-apart tender. Over the course of the cooking, give the mixture a stir a few times.

5. Uncover the pot and remove the dried mushrooms and throw them out. Add back in the sauteéd mushrooms as well as the mustard and soy sauce and taste. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed and let the mixture simmer for another 15 minutes or so, to allow everything to get hot and meld together.

6. The stew is best made at least a day in advance and up to 3 days ahead if you like. Keep it chilled and covered in the fridge and reheat over low heat when ready to serve. I haven’t frozen this but I know it would freeze well.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Mastering My Mistakes in The Kitchen by Dana Cowin—I tinkered a lot with this—left out the parsley/lemon zest topping and changed some of the proportions.