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--Dare to Cook--

Beef Stew with Fennel and Shallots

Beef Stew with Fennel and Shallots

I personally love this stew. It was my first (and so far only) exposure to fennel and the only thing I will willing put mushrooms in.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 lb boneless lean beef stew meat, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1.5 inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
½ fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced vertically
3 large shallots, chopped
1.5 teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon pepper
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
3 cups vegetable stock or broth
½ cup red wine (optional)
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
4 large red-skinned or white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
18 small boiling onions, about 10 oz, halved crosswise
3 Portobello mushrooms cut into 1 inch chunks
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

Directions:

Place the flour on a plate. Dredge the beef cubes in the flour. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the beef and cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the beef from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the fennel and shallots to the pan over medium heat and sauté until softened and lightly golden, 7-8 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon of the salt, ¼ teaspoon of the pepper, the thyme sprigs, and the bay leaf, and sauté for 1 minute. Return the beef to the pan and add the vegetable stock and the wine, if using. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until the meat is tender, 40-45 minutes.

Add the carrots, potatoes, onions, and mushrooms. (The liquid will not cover the vegetables completely, but more liquid will accumulate as the mushrooms soften.) Simmer gently until the vegetable are tender, about 30 minutes longer. Discard the thyme springs and bay leaf. Stir in the parsley and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1.2 teaspoon pepper.

Ladle into warmed individual bowls and serve immediately.

For what it is worth this recipe comes from The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook so they provide some helpful information that I would like to share with you.
This stew has three servings of veggies, one carb serving, and one protein serving.
There are 318 calories, 1,331 kilojoules, 21g protein, 36g carbs, 11g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 6g monounsaturated fat, 47mg cholesterol, 677mg sodium, 6g fiber.
There, now you know more than you ever wanted to know about this beef stew.

Giant Fennel

More ingredients.

Lots of prep work.

Lots.

I failed at getting a final picture but here it is about half done.

---Dare to Cook---