Asian Beef Stew - One Pot Meal

When I think of the word "stew", one pot meal pops up in my mind, what’s one pot meal, you might ask? Well.....let me tell you! It's a simple, fast, mess-free and stress-free dish; just toss all ingredients into one pot, and let them work its own magic and filled with great aromas.

There are many different versions of beef stew, but the ingredients are pretty much the same, this is my version of beef stew Asian style.

Ingredients:

2lb beef shank

4 slices bacon, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 carrots, cut in chunks

4 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch lengths

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

3 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 bay leaf

1 teaspoon rosemary

1lb red-skinned potatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.     Cut the beef into 1½ inch cubes and season the beef cubes with salt and pepper.
2.     Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir occasionally, until crisp and browned, transfer to paper towels to drain and set aside. Add beef to cook in the bacon fat, cook in batches, and make sure all sides are browned, and then transfer to a plate and set aside.
3.     Add olive oil to the pot and heat over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stir occasionally until the onion softens, add in flour and stir well. Then add in beef broth and stir in tomato paste, rosemary, and bay leaf. Return beef to the pot and bring to boil. Cover and let it simmer for 1½ hours.
4.     Cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes, add them along with bacon to the pot, stir recover and continue to cook about 30-45 minutes, until meat and potatoes are tender. Season the stew with salt and pepper.   

Please enjoy, until next time…Peace out!