Favourite Beef Stew - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 - 2 1/2 lbs lean beef, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons light olive oil
2 tablespoons butter (or margarine)
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
4 cups beef stock
salt & pepper
1/4 cup red wine (recommended!) (optional)
6 -8 carrots, coarsely chopped
6 -8 potatoes, coarsely chopped
6 -8 small onions, coarsely chopped
1 (28 ounce) can Italian tomatoes, drained & chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preparation

Pat meat dry with a paper towel.
Heat oil & butter together in a large heavy saucepan.
Add meat & cook, stirring constantly, until browned all over.
Remove from pot, cover & set aside.
To juices remaining in pot, add chopped onion & cook, stirring often, until tender.
Add a little more butter, if necessary.
Stir in flour & cook, stirring, until mixture is golden.
Return meat to pot.
Add next 6 ingredients (if using wine, I recommend adding this first to deglaze) - bring to a boil, stirring up browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Reduce heat, cover & simmer until the meat is tender- about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Add vegetables & continue to simmer until veggies are tender- about 30 minutes.
Taste & adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Sprinkle with parsley.