Easy Winter Warm Up Stew

This is a great one pot recipe and you can make as much or little as you like. I would do double if you have big eaters or want leftovers.

Get your best soup pot out of the cupboard. 

Get a good loaf of bread to serve with this and you are set.

Grocery list.

Beef 3/4-1lb(stew meat or boneless beef short ribs) something inexpensive.

Creamer potatoes ( the little yellow potatoes)
Little red roasters if you can't find the creamers. Approximately 6 potatoes

2 whole carrots, a head of garlic, an orange, fresh rosmary, dry bay leaves, cheap merlot, small can of beef broth

Make sure you have a little butter, olive oil, flour, salt and pepper.

I cut all my produce first. Cut the creamer potatoes in half. Peal the carrots and slice them fairly thin at an angle. Peel two cloves of garlic and hit with back of knife to crack them. Set this aside.

Then cube beef into one inch cubes. If you bought it already cubed, you are ahead of the game. Coat with about 2tbsp flour. They don't have to be fully coated, just enough to absorb some of the moisture from the outside of the beef.

In your soup pot, heat up 2tbsp olive with 2tbsp butter on med/high heat. Once it's hot, drop the beef in to brown. While the beef is browning add 2tbsp salt anf 2tsp pepper or to taste. Let it cook on each side mostly undesturbed so that the fat renders and the meat gets nice and brown. Once the meat is half way cooked and brown all over remove meat from the pot and set aside.

Next add your carrots and garlic to the pot. Stir until the carrots have a nice shiny glow, then add 2c red wine and your small can of broth. Bring to a simmer and add the beef back to the pot.

To this add two bay leaves and about three thynes of rosmary. Peel half your orange (try to get big pieces of peel so you can find them later) and add peel to the pot. Then squeeze the juice of half the orange into the pot. Simmer this for 10 min on high. Last add your potatoes and simmer for 30 min with a lid until beef and potatoes are tender.

Dish up for a warm and flavorful dinner. If your feeling fresh, add a dollop of sour cream to finish off your plate.

Quick Tip: Warm Crusty Bread without the Burn
I always forget my bread under the broiler and end up with blackened bits. I picked this tip up from my grandma. Wrap your loaf in foil and put it in the oven on bake. The bread will be warm and have a crusty fresh baked taste, but it takes a lot longer to burn.