Old Fashioned Beef Stew - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb lean beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups carrots, sliced
2 potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup green beans, cut into 1 inch
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Preparation

Coat beef with flour, shaking off excess.
In a large kettle, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high heat.
Add beef and saute until browned about 6 minutes.
Remove and transfer on a plate.
In the same kettle, add 2 tbsp oil and add onion and mushrooms.
Saute for for 6 minutes.
Add garlic and saute for 1 minutes.
Pour off fat.
Return beef to kettle, stir in tomato paste, broth and and water just enough to cover.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until beef is tender. (I simmered for about 2 hours for tender meat - acerast).
Add carrots, potatoes, and green beans.
Cover partially and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. (The vegetables took about 20 minutes to cook and I simmered them an additional 30 to help them develop flavor - acerast).
In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and cold water.
Stir in stew.
Bring to a boil for 1 minute.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve.