Tuscan Beef Stew

Since changing my diet over to the Primal lifestyle I’ve done my part to keep the majority of the posts on Dandy Dishes Primal and Paleo friendly.  But I’m leaving this one up to you, my fellow readers, to decide where this dish will fall.  Even Primal creator Mark Sisson admits to indulging in a glass of red every once and a while so I can only imagine he would approve of this beautiful free range chuck roast being slowly braised in half a bottle of it!

I think Beef Stew is one of those dishes that every family has a unique recipe for.  Almost all include carrots, celery and potatoes but the differences lie in the details.  I was inspired to make this dish after seeing an episode of Extra Virgin on Cooking Channel.  What I loved about it was the simplicity of the ingredients, and the fact that it was cooked in wine!  And even though the temperatures in Florida are hitting close to 100 and the same goes for the humidity, we still have our share of rainy days.  And to me there is something very comforting about a nice warm bowl of hearty stew on a dark and gloomy rain filled evening.  So the next time the rain ruins your Saturday evening plans make this Tuscan Beef Stew, throw on a little Thelonius Monk, down the rest of that bottle of red and enjoy!

Tuscan Beef Stew
Serves 6

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 red onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2lb boneless chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cups of a good, dry red wine.  Something you would enjoy drinking, I recommend this.
1 bunch of fresh thyme, stems removed
3 medium tomatoes, quartered
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

Heat a large heavy bottomed stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add the olive oil, onion, carrot and celery and sauté until golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Add the beef and sauté until the meat is seared and browned on all sides, about 5 – 7 minutes.  Add the wine and the thyme and bring to a boil.

Drop the heat to low and add the tomatoes, season well with salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer for 2 hours giving it a stir every 15 to 20 minutes.

I served this along side mashed sweet potatoes but next time I think I will cube them up and add them directly to the stew.  If adding potatoes, about an hour and a half into the cooking process, add the cubed potatoes and continue cooking for another half hour or until the potatoes are fork tender.  Serve in a big warm bowl and garnish with the parsley.