Beef Stew & Books . . . hmmm

It was good!

As the Thanksgiving holiday draws near I find myself wanting to toss everything aside and work around our home painting, cleaning and cooking! Unfortunately the text books are calling - loudly! This past weekend I wanted to make a beef stew, needed to finish a lesson plan, wanted to bake a loaf of bread, and needed to take a trip to the local library!

I think taking Fall classes, especially two with a 200 hr. practicum, is the worst thing to do to ones self - for me. Thankfully this time next month my agony and anxiety will be over and I should be able to put up the tree without the books calling - if they are still calling this time next month they'll probably find themselves in the fireplace!

A pile of books used for my lesson plan and to answer some questions

With the completion of these two classes and my 200 hr. practicum I'll have my library media specialist license - yeah! What does that mean? I'll be able to be a school librarian - yeah! That will leave me with 4 classes left to take to complete my masters in library - yeah! Those will be taken one at a time! My January class is lined up already!

So, without further adieu here's my beef stew! In case you were wondering, I went to the library, finished the lesson plan and I bought the bread!

Would you like some?

Balsamic Beef Stew

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to
  taste
• 2 lb. boneless beef chuck, trimmed of excess fat
  and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 Tbs. canola oil
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup full-bodied red wine
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 lb. red or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-
  inch chunks
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch
  chunks
• 2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Brown the meat
In a resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, the 1/2 tsp. salt and the 1/2 tsp. pepper. Add the beef, seal the bag and shake to coat the beef with the seasoned flour.

In a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Working in batches if needed to avoid crowding, remove the beef from the bag, shake off the excess flour and add the meat to the pot in a single layer. Cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes total. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a plate.

Add the onion to the drippings in the pan and sauté over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bay leaves, wine and broth.

Braise the meat and vegetables
Return the meat and any juices from the plate to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and braise until the meat is nearly fork-tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add the potatoes and carrots, re-cover and continue to braise until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more.

Finish the dish
Season the stew with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, divide among individual shallow bowls and serve immediately. Serves 6.