Balsamic Beef Stew with Root Vegetables

It's February and we are actually having snow days in Vancouver! So rare. So as the snow comes down on this cozy Saturday, I'm pulling out the Le Creuset Dutch oven and slow cooking a beautiful beef stew.

I wanted to up the ante a little on a traditional stew but Beef Bourguignon wasn't really in the cards since I don't have the right bottle of red on hand and didn't want to brave the roads. I decided to try some good balsamic vinegar to bring acidity, sweetness and richness to the dish instead of wine. I also found some bacon in the freezer and I love how that sets up the flavour for traditional Beef Bourguignon so I started there. Then I loaded it up with hearty root vegetables and aromatic herbs and let it simmer away on the stove for the afternoon.

The result is rich and sumptuous stew that has so many incredible layers of flavour. I recommend cutting the vegetables into nice large chunks as they cook for hours, you don't want them to break down and cook away. It also gives you a really rustic dish in the end.

Serve piping hot with some chopped parsley and warm, butter baguette or rolls. Pair this dish with a beautiful Northern Rhone red blend or Syrah. The syrupy sweetness and tang from the dark balsamic vinegar will go stunningly well with the black fruit flavours, while the pepper notes will complement the black pepper in the stew. The tannin in the wine will balance incredibly well the slow braised beef, bringing out the best in the wine and the dish.

Enjoy!

xo

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Balsamic Beef Stew

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 strips bacon, cut into lardon

• 500 grams good quality stewing beef

• 1 large onion, chopped into large pieces

• 2 celery stalks, chopped into large pieces

• 1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped into 3/4 inch rounds

• 1 cup parnsips, chopped into 3/4 inch rounds

• 1 1/2 cups yukon gold or red potatoes, chopped into 1 inch pieces

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 3 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar

• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire

• 3 1/2 cups or 900 ml low-sodium beef stock (1 tetrapak container)

• 1 bay leaf

• Salt + pepper

• 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. In large pot or Dutch oven, add olive oil and heat to medium high. When hot, add bacon and sauté until just crispy. Remove bacon and set aside.

2. Pat beef dry with paper towel and season well with a really good amount of salt and cracked black pepper. Sear beef in the bacon fat until very well browned on each side. You may have to do this in two batches so as not to crowd the pan. Remove beef from pot and set aside.

3. Add onion and celery and sauté until vegetables start to soften. Add carrots, and parsnips and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook 1-2 minutes.

4. Deglaze pot by adding the balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire to the hot pot and scraping down the bottom and sides to remove all the brown bits, allowing the liquid to reduce slightly. Stir in tomato paste and add potatoes, bacon and beef into the pot. Stir to combine.

5. Add beef broth and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for minimum 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until beef falls apart easily.

6. Stir in the fresh chopped parsley, check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Be sure to tag @crushfoodandwine if you try this recipe!

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