RUSSIAN BEEF STEW

Finally, my Russian Beef Stew.  I finished cooking the stew in the oven in my stainless steel pan equipped with a tight cover.  I know...why is she starting at the end??  Because everything happens in this pan -- it's the stage for all the actor ingredients to play their roles.  So if you have a stainless steel pan use it, you won't regret it.  This recipe was easy and took less time than I imagined, including prepping. 

First, though not as lean as I would've liked, I used beef stew meat.  After completely defrosting, sprinkle salt over all of it.  Not too much though, there'll be plenty of flavors to come.  Also, be mindful of the fat/oil content, olive oil or grease from the meat and bacon.  If you rather add another tablespoon of olive oil and drain the bacon grease, that's fine, but I wouldn't leave it all in.  You'll find yourself scraping it off the top in the end anyway.

Start with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoons of butter in a hot pan.  Throw in beef and brown it well on all sides, then transfer to a clean bowl. 











Next, cook finely chopped onions and garlic until translucent. Remove from pan and follow with cooking the bacon, till slightly brown and crisp.  Again, spoon bacon grease out if you think it's too much.

1 pound of lean beef (cut in cubes)
2 mediums onions, chopped
3 medium cloves of garlic
2 slices of bacon/chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1tablespoon of butter

Now it's time to pull it all together.

With bacon, add onions, garlic and mix in one tablespoon of flour.  Next, 1/2 cup of beef stock.  Mix well, scraping the bottom of the pan to free up any bits of meat, onion or bacon.  Add meat, potatoes, carrots, 1/2 teaspoons of salt, pepper, plus two or three bay leaves.  Mix.  Another 1/2 cup of beef stock and 1/2 cup of water.  The contents should sit at least half way in the liquid (don't worry this will reduce).  Finish with a dash of garlic powder and paprika.  Bring to a boil for about 3-5 minutes. 

Potatoes cut in small cubes
Carrots chopped small

½ Tsps. salt & pepper
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup of beef stock
1/2 cup of water
2-3 bay leaves

 

 
Cover pan tightly and place in middle rack at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Remember most of this is already done and the rest doesn't need long to cook.  Also, every oven is different, so what you want is the sauce to simmer in the pan.  If you think it's boiling, lower the temperature.

Get your sour cream ready: 1-2 dollops of sour cream

Once done, put on stovetop and add sour cream.  I added 2 dollops of sour cream and although it tasted great, it was one dollop too many for me.  With everything, flavor to taste.

Serve and enjoy.