My slow cooker – one of the workhorses of my kitchen.  There’s nothing nicer (or frankly more convenient) than putting a bunch of ingredients in at the start of the day, turning it on, leaving it, & then coming home to the fabulous smell of dinner.  Try this beef stew for a delish cold weather meal!

To save even more time, you don’t need to brown the stew beef (although browning it first does add a bit more flavor). Just throw it into the slow cooker along with all the rest of the ingredients.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 T olive oil
• 1-1/4 lbs stew beef, cut into 1″ cubes
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 1 lg potato, cut into 2″ pieces
• 3 carrots, cut into 1/2″ slices
• 1/2 lg onion, cut into big chunks
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 c beef broth
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs or 3/4 t dried thyme
• 3 fresh rosemary sprigs or 3/4 t dried rosemary
• 1 t paprika
• 1 t caraway seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 T flour (optional)
• 2 T parsley, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Season beef with salt & pepper. Add beef to the skillet & cook until evenly browned, about 2-3 min.

Put beef, potatoes, carrots, onion & garlic into slow cooker. Stir in beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire, thyme, rosemary, paprika, caraway seeds & bay leaves until well combined. Season with salt & pepper.

Cover & cook on low heat for 7-8 hrs or high heat for 3-4 hrs.

Optional: In a small bowl, whisk together flour & 1/2 cup stew broth. Stir in flour mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 30 min, or until thickened.

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley.