This Cinnamon Beef Stew from Well Fed Paleo Recipes is hands down the best stew I've ever had. Period. I could cut the pieces of meat with a spoon...'Nuf said.
It's not a "quick and easy" recipe...but well worth the time. Your family will think you're a superstar;)
Ingredients:
- 2-3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium celery stock, finely diced (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3-5 cups water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 sprig fresh sage (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish (optional)
Directions:
Sprinkle the beef generously with salt and pepper. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat, then brown the meat in batches, searing on all sides. Don't crowd the pan. Remove the meat to a bowl as it is browned and repeat with the rest of the cubes.
In the same pot, saute the chopped carrot, onion, celery, and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, about 1 minute. I love that I discovered tomato paste in a tube...so much more user friendly than canned! :) I'm a little confused about it saying "double concentrate" though. I just used it 1 : 1. Anybody know??...
Add the broth and vinegar, then stir with passion, scraping up all the wonderful brown bits at the bottom.
Put the meat and it's drippings back into the pot. Add 3 cups of water, 2 teaspoons salt, a healthy dose of pepper, the bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, sage, and cinnamon sticks. Whew....the hard part's over.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer with the pot partially covered, for 90 minutes. If it starts to dry out (mine did not), add water, 1/2 cup at a time. Simmer until the meat is very tender and the liquid in the pan has been reduced to gravy-like status. (Mine took longer than 90 minutes for this to happen, just so you know.)
Remove the cinnamon sticks and herb stems from the stew pot. Ladle into deep bowls and add a light drizzle of olive oil, if you like;) This Cinnamon Beef Stew is delicious when it's made...but just gets better on Day 2...Day 3... & Day 4! :) I noticed that the cinnamon taste dissipates the longer it sits.
This is perfect served on top of Cauliflower Rice! Can you say "comfort food"? YUM. What a satisfying Whole30 meal...Enjoy!
