Favorite Beef Stew

I've been using this beef stew recipe since 1982 and have never found another to rival it. The timing of adding each type of vegetable is one of the things that make this beef stew special. Be sure to follow the recipe and don't add the ingredients all at once. If done correctly, the potatoes and peas will be perfectly cooked through and not the least bit mushy. The celery and carrots will be slightly crunchy for a pleasing blend of textures.

At my house, this recipe is affectionately called "Invisible Stew". When our son was a small child, my husband and I told him that he would turn invisible if he ate all of his stew. It worked like a charm! After he emptied his complete bowl of stew, we couldn't see him for at least 30 minutes. Those were fun times. More than twenty years later, he still comes around and asks me to make Invisible Stew.

Favorite Beef Stew

Ingredients:

2 pounds stew beef, cut into 1 inch chunks
3 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 cubes beef bouillon
4 cups water
4 cups potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
2 cups carrots, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 cup celery, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in a 4 quart sauce pot or dutch oven. Add beef and brown lightly. Remove beef and set aside, making sure the oil remains in the pot.

2. Add garlic and onion to oil in the pot. Cook until the onion is clear.

3. Add flour and stir into the oil and onion mixture. Brown lightly.

4. Return beef to the pot. Add 1/2 cup water and stir until smooth. Add Worcestershire sauce, bouillon, salt, pepper and remaining 3 1/2 cups water. Stir and cook until the broth forms a thin gravy.

5. Reduce heat and simmer beef in gravy for 30 minutes.

6. Return pot to medium-low heat. Add potatoes and carrots and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

7. Add celery and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

8. Add frozen peas and cook for 5 more minutes. Serve hot.