Spicy And Savory Slow Cooker Beef Ragout - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning blend (such as Tony Chachere's(R))
1 pound cubed lean beef stew meat
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (16 ounce) package frozen stew vegetables, thawed
4 cups beef broth
1 pound fresh morel mushrooms, sliced
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles (such as RO*TEL(R) Mild)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence (optional)
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup Merlot wine
sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

Combine flour and Cajun seasoning in a resealable plastic bag.
Pat stew meat pieces dry with paper towels; place meat, a few pieces at a time, into the bag. Seal the bag and shake several times to coat beef with seasoned flour. Set seasoned beef aside; repeat with remaining meat.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the meat in batches until browned on all sides, stirring often.
Place stew vegetables, beef broth, morel mushrooms, diced tomatoes with green chiles, tomato sauce, basil, garlic, herbe de Provence, and bay leaves in a large slow cooker set on High setting.
Stir the browned beef into the stew, cover, and cook until beef is tender, about 6 hours.
Reduce slow cooker setting to Low and stir in Merlot wine. Cover cooker and cook until wine is slightly reduced and flavors have blended, about 30 more minutes. Season with sea salt and black pepper.