Fernandez’s Palayok: Philippine Food Time, On Site, in the Pot. San Isidro Labrador on May 15, celebrated in Lucban, Quezon by decorating stew meat houses with food. In Madrid, Spain, the same feast is celebrated on the same day, and San Isidro Labrador is also the patron saint of Madrid. A beef stew with potatoes, carrots and herbs.

Stew meat are lean chunks of beef or pork usually cut from the tougher parts of the animal. The meat may be sold in large pieces or pre-cut into small cubes. Because the meat is lean and often chewy, dry roasting it in the oven will only make it tougher. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut larger pieces of meat into 1- to 2-inch cubes.

Preheat a heavy skillet or Dutch oven over high heat on the stove top. When the skillet is hot enough that a drop of water dances across the surface, add a thin layer of oil. Sear the meat until brown on all sides. Move the meat back to the pot and add broth, wine, beer, tomato juice or other flavorful liquid to barely cover the meat. Cover the skillet or Dutch oven and place it in the preheated oven. Check the meat periodically, adding more liquid as needed to prevent the meat from drying out. Test the meat for tenderness after 2 to 3 hours.

Once the meat is done, an additional half-hour of cooking in liquid will make it more tender. Tip For a complete meal in a pot, add potatoes, carrots or other desired vegetables during the last 45 minutes of cooking. Warning Use oven mitts when handling the hot skillet or Dutch oven. Can I Cook Baby Carrots With Roast in a Slow Cooker? Beef stew is a cold weather essential. Read on to get all the hot deets on this ultra-comforting stew. It gets more tender the longer it cooks.

The opposite is true with beef chuck. If you find your beef isn’t tender after 45 minutes, continue simmering, adding more broth or water as needed. Some people have told us that this recipe is missing flour. There’s no rule that beef stew needs a thickening agent. In fact, many recipes skip it, not just ours. As the soup simmers, the potatoes give off plenty of starch, creating some of the most velvety broth we’ve ever had.

Wine adds a layer of rich complex flavor to your stew. If you don’t have any leftover cooking wine on hand, your stew will be delicious without it—just sub in more beef stock! Word to the wise, though: open wine keeps for MONTHS in the fridge. For drinking eh, not so much. So yes, that half glass of Pinot from September will work just fine.

Have more leftover wine burning a hole in your fridge? Make our red wine poke cake! And yes, you can make it ahead! Cook all the way through step 6, then cool the stew to room temperature before refrigerating in a resealable container. Before serving, reheat in a large pot over medium-low heat. If it’s particularly thick, loosen it up with some broth or water.