Portuguese Spiced Beef Stew - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 lbs beef bottom round steaks, cut into 2 inch pieces and trimmed of fat
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry red wine (Zinfandel)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon pickling spices
1 bay leaf
1 (28 ounce) can peeled Italian tomatoes, chopped and undrained
7 ounces Italian bread or 7 ounces French bread, torn into 3 inch chunks
2 tablespoons chopped of fresh mint (optional)

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add in the beef (may need to do this in batches), cook until meat is browned, stirring frequently.
Transfer beef to 4 quart slow-cooker; season with salt and pepper.
Add a little more oil to the skillet (if needed) and saute the onions for 4 minutes or until softened.
Add in the garlic and saute 1 minute.
Add in the red wine, tomato paste, pickling spices, and bay leaf.
Let simmer and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet as you stir.
Remove skillet from heat; stir in tomatoes with juice.
Pour mixture into slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours.
Skin any fat from surface of stew.
To serve: put bread chunks into individual serving bowls; pour stew over bread and let stand for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with fresh mint if desired and serve.