Confession: I feel quite pleased with myself when I see containers of stews and soups lined up in the freezer. It’s my “acts of service” love language, looking after the people I love, making sure there’s always something that can be eaten at any given time. I feel quite bereft when the container numbers start to dwindle, even though dwindle they should, and must.

This is why when it comes to stews, one should always make more than one needs (half pun on the “one”, there). Also, any red wine left over from the red wine beef onion stew can always be put to good use 🍷.

This particular red wine beef onion stew has one ingredient I don’t usually use – a soup packet mix, which is a shortcut flavour enhancer. But the REAL flavour enhancer here is the added thyme. You could use any herb, really, but the thyme especially is great with this stew. More on sublime thyme here, where I also share some thyme poems.

The recipe is the usual drum with stews – brown the meat, saute vegetables, add liquid, put the whole thing in a pot or baking dish, cook long and slow. Hearty. Filling. Comforting. Satisfying. Homely. Budget-friendly. Acts of service love language, you’re welcome.

“I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.”
-W.C. Fields, Actor

Ingredients

1.2 kg beef chuck steak, cubed, excess fat removed
1 onion, sliced
3 carrots, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp flour, plain
1 cup red wine
40 g packet French onion soup mix
2 cups beef stock
olive oil, salt, pepper, lots of thyme

Instructions

Preheat oven to 170℃/338℉.
Coat beef in flour. Dust off excess flour. Add a little olive oil to frying pan and brown beef on both sides in batches. Transfer to baking dish.
Add extra oil, add onion and fry till translucent. Add in carrots and saute, then the garlic until fragrant.
Add wine to pan and simmer for 3 minutes or until reduced.
Add stock, French onion soup mix and thyme sprigs to pan and stir to combine.
Pour stock/onion mixture into the baking dish with the beef and stir to combine.
Cover tightly with lid or aluminium foil and bake in oven for 3- 3½ hours or until beef is tender. Check several times to ensure there is plenty of liquid or that beef isn't adhering to dish. If necessary add a little extra stock, or red wine.
Serve with potato or cauliflower (mashed or baked) and greens; crusty bread; rice: polenta; or can be stirred through pasta.

Hello!

Red Wine Beef Onion Stew