The cool weather makes us all crave something warming and hearty. I guess it just makes us feel good inside when we’ve enjoyed a meal that satisfies all of the senses. This stew has been in our household for about 45 years, and has remained a tried and true favorite: the whole kitchen smells so good, it looks appetizing, and it tastes yummy! And for me, best of all…my son loved it as a kid; and who doesn’t want a meal their children love that includes a protein, veggies and even the noodles to fill ‘em up!
3 Tbsp. Canola or Vegetable Oil 1 ½ to 2 lbs of Beef, Chuck. (You can buy a large piece and cut into cubes yourself which is easy to do, and saves money) 1 Large Yellow Onion, peeled and sliced into thin slices 5 or 6 Carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼ in. wide slices 3 Large Idaho or Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ in pieces 2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped 1 Bay Leaf Salt & Pepper to taste ½ of a 6 oz. can Tomato Sauce (Such as DelMonte, Redpack, Muir Glen, etc) Water to add to our pot 2 or 3 Tbsp. All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour ( such as Bob’s Red Mill) 1 Box Gluten Free Noodles Additional salt for water to boil noodles.
First prepare your ingredients. If you’ve taken my edvice and purchased a large piece of meat, trim off any excess fat, and then cut into cubes. We prefer our beef stew with cubes that are approx. 1 in. in size. If you prefer larger, then cut them in that size. If you’ve bought chuck already cut into cubes for stew, they may be too large, so slice them to adjust them to your needs.
Next, I like to have all of my veggies all cleaned and cut before beginning the cooking process, but that’s just me. In any event, cut them to the sizes above, and put aside. Again, if you want carrots that are chunkier, go for it!
Take a large pot and place the oil in, over a medium heat. When hot, saute the meat first. When it’s been browned on both sides ( don’t let it burn, just lightly brown), Remove from pot with a slotted spoon. You want to leave those juices in there. Add the onion to that liquid in the pot, and saute until translucent. Add the carrots and saute for a minute or so. Lastly, add the potatoes. Stir well to combine.
Now, replace the meat into the pot, and add the ½ can of tomato sauce ( it’s about 3-4 ounces. And add 1 ½ cups of water. Stir to combine.
Note: Adding the water is hard to explain since I don’t know the exact size of your cooking pot. The best way is to tell you that the water/sauce mixture should just cover all of the ingredients by approximately 1 inch.
Add the spices and cover pot tightly. After coming to a simmer where there’s a low boil, reduce and cook on a low-medium heat. Stir frequently so all of the ingredients are being incorporated and getting the full flavors of each other.
Simmer for 1 hour. If the sauce mixture seems to have evaporated, you can add a little bit more water half-way through the cooking. Just remember it isn’t soup, so we don’t need that much liquid.
After 1 hour on that low simmer, take a small measuring cup and ladle out about 1/3 cup of liquid. To this add the gluten-free flour and make a paste (rioux) as a thickening agent. Add to the pot and incorporate into the stew. Remove the Bay Leaf and discard. It is not to be eaten.
When the stew is done, take a separate saucepan and bring salted water to a boil for the noodles. Cook noodles as you would any pasta, and drain when al dente.
We like to serve this dish “family style” with 2 large bowls; one with the stew and a second for the noodles. Place the noodles in individual bowls first, and then serve the stew on top.
