I too found this to be a good basic recipe that improves with just a little doctoring. I took tips from other users and floured the meat before browning it and also added extra corn starch. I don't think it has too much wine but I do think it should cook longer than 4-6 hours for maximum flavor. Be sure to use a good meat too! Also I couldn't find consomme so to get that intense flavor I added an extra can of beef stock (using a bit less water) and then threw in a boullion cube. Next time I will use more carrots and more potatoes and add a little Worchesthire sauce which I didn't have on hand though I did use some balsamic vinegar. On the whole though this is a good classic stew and very very easy.
This stew is so very good and flavorful that it has quickly become my only stew recipe and a new winter staple in our home. I had to add about 5Tbl cornstarch to achieve the gravy like consistancy that we prefer but other that that one small change I make this recipe exactly as called for. It is terrific!
Nope - what a waste of 3 lbs of beef. Tasted too much of the wine and I only put in 1 cup (all I had). There wasn't much taste - not sure what I did wrong but I'll stick to my own version of beef stew that uses already cooked and cubed roast beef. Sorry: (
I guess it was my error - should have read all the reviews first. I made this for my family and some friends who were visiting and we ended up ordering pizza - way too much wine and aside from that very little taste at all. My overall impression was that it was pretty bad and I won't be making it again.
Well this is a good base. I changed the herbs up a bit. I used 1/2 tsp thyme and 1/2 tsp rosemary. The rosemary went well with the wine. I added a more veggies(mushrooms and green beans). It tasted good day one but as with all stews and soups and such you need one good day for the flavors to meld together. I froze over half the recipe and gave some to my brother he loved it. Reheats nicely
This is basically a Beef Burgundy Recipe more than a basic stew recipe. I could tell just by looking at the recipe that it needed some help. As with other reviewers I have made some changes. I also floured my beef before I browned it. Then I also added some extra ingredients 4 cloves of minced garlic 1 tsp of dried rosemary 2 bouillon cubes a bay leaf and 1 can of tomato paste. I also cooked this on low for 8 hours as suggested by other reviewers and added more cornstarch for thickening.
All the Burgandy at my store was in big ol' jugs so I substituted Cabernet Sauvignon. I cooked the stew in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours but thought it could have stood another hour or two to further tenderize the meat. After it was done cooking last night I didn't think that the flavors married that well and all I could taste was wine and thyme. But a night in the frig mingled the flavors and evened out the thyme and wine flavors. Heated the whole thing up on the stove when I got home and added in the corn starch...yep it needed more than what the recipe calls for. Always nice to have dinner ready (or almost so) right after work! One last comment...We ate half of the stew (froze the rest) and it fed 3 of us which included 2 adults and a 3 year old. So I think that the serving size is off or at least for how much this family eats. Anyway thanks for the nice recipe; it'll probably be a winter staple for us.
My husband who does not like stew loves this.
I made this on a very busy day. It went together quickly and the results were far beyond what I expected. I did toss the beef in flour with the salt and pepper and then browned it before putting in the crock pot. The sauce/gravy was delicious but not very thick so I considered this more a soupy type stew. Served with hot bread it was just a terrific meal. I took some to friends and they have called asking for the recipe. That says a lot!
