Beef Stew With Red Wine & Vegetables - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 lbs boneless beef chuck (cut into large cubes)
1 brown onion, diced
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cups dry red wine
1 cup water
4 cups low sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 yellow potatoes, cut into quarters
4 carrots, cut into thick slices
15 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and caps cut into thick slices
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram or 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Preparation

Place flour in mixing bowl. Season with 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper.
Melt butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy-based sauce pan over a medium-high heat.
Working in batches, coat beef with flour, then add it to the saucepan and brown it on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to transfer browned beef to a plate. Set aside.
Add a another 2 tablespoons of oil to the saucepan and add the onions; saute until tender and translucent for about 5 minutes.
Mix in the tomato paste, then wine. Bring to the boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add the beef stock, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, then beef and any juices that may have collected.
Bring to boil then reduce heat to very low. Cover saucepan with a lid but leave the lid open just a sliver. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
After this time, turn up the heat to medium and add the potatoes. Simmer for 25 minutes.
Add carrots; turn heat down to low, cover pot and simmer until for 15 minutes. Add mushrooms and marjoram; simmer for another 5 minutes.