Few things create as warm a welcome as a rich and comforting stew after a long day of outdoor winter fun. This recipe simmers affordable cuts of beef with layered aromatics to create a rich and flavourful slow cooker stew that’s perfect for those cold winter nights. 

The key to success in slow cooking is to create as much flavour as you can before the long simmer begins. You can dump raw meats and vegetables into a slow cooker and they’ll be edible when the dish is done, but the finished product will be bland and tasteless. Caramelizing the onions, sautéing the vegetables, searing the meat, and deglazing the pan add extra steps up front, but the flavours they impart are worth the effort. To round out this meal, serve it with a green salad and some warm, crusty bread. Or, if you’d rather incorporate more veggies and make it a one-pot meal, add a couple of handfuls of sliced fresh green beans or frozen peas about 30 minutes before serving. We paired this with one of our warming winter wines, which you’ll find in this issue’s edition of Decanting Digest on page 68 & 69.

Prep 1 hr: cook 8 hrs; total 9 hrs

3 medium sweet onions, sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
Small handful celery leaves, roughly chopped
1 large shallot, sliced
6 cups white or cremini mushrooms, quartered
2 lb stewing beef (or purchase blade or round roast and cut into cubes) 
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp thyme
1 russet potato
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or tamari
1/2 cup red wine
1 1L carton beef broth
1 bay leaf
3 Yukon gold or white potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour enough olive oil into a large and deep sauté pan to coat the bottom of the pan, then set it over medium heat. To slice the onions, cut them in half from root to tip, peel off the outer skin and cut off the tops, then slice each half into thin strips from just shy of the root to tip. Cut off the roots to create the strips, then add them to the sauté pan. Season them with salt and pepper and stir them occasionally while they caramelize for roughly 30 minutes. When they’re done, they’ll be medium to dark brown, translucent, and very soft.

Meanwhile, prepare your other ingredients. Peel and slice the shallot into half-rounds slices, finely dice the garlic, wash and finely slice the celery stalks, and roughly chop the celery leaves; set these aside together in a separate bowl. Clean the mushrooms and cut them into quarters or thick slices, then set them aside in a separate bowl. Add the cornstarch to a bowl with the thyme and more salt and pepper, stir these ingredients together, then set them aside. Cut the beef into 1 to 2-inch cubes and set aside. 

Once the onions are caramelized, pour them into the bowl of the slow cooker while leaving as much of the oil in the pan as you can. Return the pan to the heat and add the garlic, shallot, and celery. Sauté them for one to two minutes until they become fragrant and are beginning to brown and turn translucent, then add them to the slow cooker. 

Return the pan to the heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms to the pan season them generously with pepper (but not salt). Sauté them until browned on several sides, then add them to the slow cooker.

Again, return the pan to the heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Working in small batches, very lightly dredge each piece of beef in the cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Sear the beef for roughly one minute on each side, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, until several sides of each piece are browned. Add each piece to the slow cooker as it’s ready; add more oil between batches if the pan becomes dry.

Once the final pieces of beef have been added to the slow cooker, remove the pan from the heat. Pour the wine into the pan while still hot and allow it to boil while scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula to deglaze the pan and release any browning. Pour the wine deglazing into the slow cooker. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce or tamari, and bay leaf. Peel and dice the russet potato and add it to the slow cooker; this will fall apart as the stew cooks and help it to thicken. Stir the contents of the slow cooker to combine, then place the lid on it and set it to cook on its low setting for 8 hours (or, if you’re in a hurry, on the high setting for 4 hours).

One hour before the cook time is done, peel and dice the Yukon gold or white potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Add the diced potatoes to the slow cooker, replace the lid, and cook for the remaining time. Remove the bay leaf, then serve. Makes 10 to 12 servings. 

I used the Hamilton Beach 6 Quart Programmable Defrost Slow Cooker. It comes with a temperature probe, flexible time and temperature options, and works well for frozen meat, as it defrosts first, then cooks it until done. Best of all, it’s dishwasher safe.