Hearty Beef Stew

It's Fall and the weather has cooled off considerably (it has in Chicago... today at least, and on top of it, it's raining) and football is in the air. What better food to make than beef stew? This recipe is a particular favorite of mine and is rich, filling and delicious and just perfect for this time of the year.

Here's what you need (makes 8 very full servings):

• All purpose flour
• 3/4 sticks of butter
  
• 3 pounds of stew beef, with the fat trimmed
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1/2 can of tomato paste
• 3 cups of red wine (I prefer a Cabernet, whatever you do, don't use cooking wine because good wine just adds to the flavor, so use what you'd usually drink)
  
• 3 1/2 cups of beef broth
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 pounds baby red-skinned potatoes, quartered
• baby carrots (I use about 30-45)
  
• 1 zucchini, cut into medium sized pieces (the recipe calls for baby pattypan squash, which I've never even heard of, let alone seen or used)
  
• 1 pound of mushrooms, thickly sliced (the recipe calls for shiitake, but I use the white/cremini mushrooms)
  
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram or 1 tablespoon dried

Season flour with salt and pepper and then lightly coat the beef with flour. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy large Dutch (emphasis on large; any pot will do, but if it's not large you will get spillage) oven over medium-high heat. Brown the meat in butter and then remove from pot.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in same pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until tender, and then mix in tomato paste. Add wine and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add broth and sugar, then beef and and the beef juices. Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for a couple of hours.

Add potatoes and carrots and simmer uncovered. When meat and vegetables are almost tender, add mushrooms and 3 tablespoons marjoram. Continue to simmer until mushrooms are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with french bread.

This stew is best made a day in advance - I guess letting it stew (pun intended) in its juices overnight makes it taste better. Also, it freezes unbelievably well, so I always make a huge batch because it takes so long, but is not extra work to increase volume. Word of caution: this recipe is not slow cooker adaptable, from my experience.