Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Last week, I had every intention of making a traditional beef stew for St. Patrick's Day.  But on Thursday, the weather was gorgeous and the beef stew just didn't seem appropriate for such beautiful weather, which is why I chose to make spicy Sticky Chicken Thighs instead.  I mean, beef stew is the perfect comfort food for cold winter weather and I couldn't get myself to make it when it was warm and sunny out!  Luckily...or unluckily...the weather in Boston is constantly changing and this week's weather seems way more appropriate for beef stew.

I did a quick search online for a slow cooker beef stew and finally fell up this recipe for Real Simple's Slow-Cooker Classic Beef Stew.  The recipe looked, well, real simple so I decided to give it a try.  I already had most of the ingredients on hand but modified the recipe a little bit:

• 3 pounds of beef stew meat (original recipe calls for 4 pounds bottom round, well trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup olive oil (plus more if needed)
• 2 large onions, diced
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 pound potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pound baby carrots (original recipe calls for 1/2 pound baby carrots)
• 1 cup of beef stock (original recipe calls for 2 cups beef broth)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon herbs de Provence (original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves)
• 2 bay leaves (original recipe calls for 1 bay leaf)
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed

I made the beef stew on Tuesday but I actually prepped the onions and potatoes on Monday night.  I sliced up the onions and put them in a freezer bag.

I also sliced up the potatoes and put those in an airtight plastic container.

I also measured out a cup of frozen peas and put them in a separate airtight plastic container to thaw overnight.

On Tuesday morning, I coated the beef with flour in a freezer bag.  I warmed up my Dutch oven on the stove with a drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat.  I browned the meat and transferred the meat to the slow cooker.

I then added a little more olive oil to the pan and added the onion to the Dutch oven.  I cooked the onions until they were soft.

I added the tomato paste to the pan to coat the onions and then put the onions in the Dutch oven.

I poured the red wine into the skillet and scraped up the brown bits in the Dutch oven.  I added the wine with the brown bits to the slow cooker. 

I then added the potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, herbs de Provence and bay leaves. 

I covered the slow cooker and put it to cook on low for seven and a half hours. 

When I got home from work, I added the peas and let the slow cooker continue to simmer until the peas were heated through.

I served the beef stew with some leftover honey-whole wheat biscuits that I had previously frozen and thawed for dinner.  The beef stew was really hearty and a total comfort food for this recent cold weather we've been having.  I've made beef stew in the slow cooker before but this was definitely the best version.  The beef was so tender and every bite seemed so flavorful. 

Tell me, what is the ultimate comfort food for you when the weather is cold?