Carrie's Beef Stew

Total Time: 48 hrs 25 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 48 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 -1 1/2 lb beef stew meat, cut in 1/2 inch cubes (or venison, elk, or buffalo)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 -4 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 button mushrooms, cut in quarters
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 carrots, 1/4 inch chunks
• 2 russet potatoes, 1/2 inch chunks
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon steak seasoning
• 1/2 tablespoon kitchen bouquet
• salt
• pepper
• 1 quart water (4 cups)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup cold water

Recipe

• 1 preheat dutch oven with 1/2 of the olive oil.
• 2 mix flour& salt& pepper together and dust 1/2 the meat, placing in the hot oil.
• 3 brown on all sides and repeat with the rest of the meat, adding more olive oil if necessary.
• 4 remove the meat from the pan and drain on a paper towel.
• 5 add the onion and celery to the pan and add a pinch of salt.
• 6 use the juices from the onion and celery to deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom.
• 7 when the onions & celery start to get soft, add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt.
• 8 sauté until the mushrooms start to "collapse".
• 9 add the carrots, potatoes, bay leaf, steak seasoning, kitchen bouquet, and bullion cube.
• 10 pour the water over and cover, simmering at least 1 hr and 2-3 hours if possible.
• 11 if you need thickener, add the flour to the cold water and beat with a fork, strain into your boiling stew and continue to stir until it comes back to a boil, set to simmer and cover again for 15 minutes, check for seasoning.