Barbaras Beef Stew Recipes

PARKER'S BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Place the beef in a bowl with red wine, garlic, and bay leaves. Place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Combine the flour, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper. Lift the beef out of the marinade with a slotted spoon and discard the bay leaves and garlic, saving the marinade. In batches, dredge the cubes of beef in the flour mixture and then shake off the excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot and brown half the beef over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Place the beef in a large oven-proof Dutch oven and continue to brown the remaining beef, adding oil as necessary. (If the beef is very lean, you'll need more oil.) Place all the beef in the Dutch oven.
• Heat another 2 tablespoons of oil to the large pot and add the onions, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Place all the vegetables in the Dutch oven over the beef. Add 2 1/2 cups of the reserved marinade to the empty pot and cook over high heat to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken stock, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables in the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat on top of the stove. Cover the pot and place it in the oven to bake it for about 2 hours, until the meat and vegetables are all tender, stirring once during cooking. If the stew is boiling rather than simmering, lower the heat to 250 or 275 degrees F.
• Before serving, stir in the frozen peas, season to taste, and serve hot.

ALBERTA BEEF BARLEY STEW

Steps:

• Heat 2 cups water to boiling in a microwave-safe bowl, about 2 minutes. Stir beef bouillon cubes and onion soup mix into boiling water until dissolved.
• Pour bouillon mixture and remaining 4 cups water into a slow cooker; set cooker on High. Stir beef, potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic into the slow cooker.
• Cook, covered, until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 4 1/2 to 5 hours. Stir barley into beef mixture; continue cooking until barley is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Turn slow cooker off, remove cover, and allow to cool until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

SUNNY'S BEEF AND BARLEY STEW WITH CRUSTY PEPPER BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• Trace and cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the size of the top of the Dutch oven to use as a lid. Set aside.
• In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the butter and olive oil. Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper and, when the pan is hot enough, add the beef. Be careful to cook the beef in batches if there isn't enough space. (Overcrowding will cause steaming, not searing.) Sear the cubes on each, and side then remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. In the fat left from the searing, add the carrots, parsnip, celery, onions, thyme, paprika, a pinch of salt and a grind or 2 of pepper. Saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Raise the heat and pour in the wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Raise the heat to a simmer, and then add the beef cubes back to the pot along with the bay leaves and beef broth. Cover with the prepared parchment paper and cook in the oven for 2 hours.
• At the 2 hour mark, remove the parchment, taste, and season with salt, if needed. Add the barley, and stir in 1 cup of water if the stew looks too dry. Cook, covered with the actual lid for this step, until the barley is cooked through and tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with Crusty Pepper Bread.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides. Place on a baking sheet and bake until the edges of the bread just begin to turn golden, about 10 minutes.

BEEF AND BARLEY STEW

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook beef in oil until meat is no longer pink. Add the carrots, onion and celery; cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Add the mushrooms, stewed tomatoes, water, wine, broth, bay leaves, salt, thyme and pepper. , Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add barley; cover and simmer 45 minutes longer or until barley and meat are tender. , Combine flour and cold water until smooth. Gradually stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Discard bay leaves. Stir in balsamic vinegar just before serving. Sprinkle each serving with parsley if desired.

BARBARA'S BEST MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Pour milk over breadcrumbs in a large bowl; soak until crumbs are softened, at least 5 minutes.
• Mix ground beef, egg, onion, salt, and black pepper with the bread crumbs and milk. Shape the beef mixture into a loaf and transfer to a baking dish.
• Stir ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and nutmeg together in a bowl until smooth; spread over the loaf.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

BARGEMEN'S BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Oil the insert of a large slow cooker. In a large bowl, toss meat with flour and salt and pepper to taste. Scatter half the onions in the slow cooker. Add half the meat. Add remaining onions and top with remaining meat. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat is very tender.
• In a food processor or blender, chop anchovies, garlic and parsley very fine. Add mustard and vinegar and pulse until just blended.
• Skim the fat off the stew. Stir in anchovy mixture. Taste for seasoning and serve.

BAVARIAN STEW

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook beef in oil until browned; drain. Stir in the broth, onion, bay leaf, caraway seeds and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/4 hours or until meat is almost tender., Combine vinegar and sugar; stir into beef mixture. Place cabbage on top of meat mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 18-22 minutes or until meat and cabbage are tender. , Remove beef and cabbage; keep warm. Discard bay leaf. Stir gingersnaps into cooking liquid; cook and stir until thickened. Stir in beef. Serve with cabbage.

BARBARA'S BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Quickly sear stewing beef in a soup pot with a small amount of oil, the onions, and the garlic.
• Add the water, thyme, beef broth, diced tomatoes, and the tomato sauce.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for an hour and a half or more.
• Note: The broth will reduce nicely if not covered, but care needs to be taken to not let it reduce too much and endanger going dry.
• About an hour before serving, add vegetables.
• Increase heat to bring the stew back to a boil; then reduce and let simmer until vegetables are tender crisp.
• Biscuits go nicely with this for a complete meal.