Mushroom and Red Wine Beef Stew

My trip out of town was canceled so we decided to fire up the Egg, like that is unusual around our house :).  We still had a venison roast in the freezer so we substitued the beef with venison.  This was a really good Sunday meal and easy to make.  This is one of those meals were the leftovers are even better.  I am already looking forward to lunch tomorrow.

Ingredients:
2 lbs beef, cubed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or seasoned salt
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning or other spicy, beef-appropriate rub
2 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 whole onions, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 potato, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
8 oz white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup red wine
1 can beef consommé
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
Noodles or rice – cooked and drained
2 tablespoons of flour

Measure flour, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, beef rub, and flour into a zip top bag and mix thoroughly. Place meat in bag and shake to coat meat with the spice mixture. Let sit in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Put butter and oil into the dutch oven, and brown the meat, working in batches if necessary. Remove the meat to a plate once brown.  I do this on the stove top because it is much easier.

Add onions and garlic to the pan (without cleaning) and sauté until onions are translucent, about 2-4 minutes. Add beef back to the pan, along with the wine and consommé. Cook with the lid off for about 30 minutes at 300-325 degrees. Stir every 10 minutes.

Add carrots and potatoes and cook for another 20 minutes. You may need to add water during this time. At the end of this period, add mushrooms and any other vegetables. Also season with salt and pepper to taste, and add any fresh herbs, such as the rosemary I used. Stir thoroughly to incorporate all the ingredients.

Cover the pot, and simmer for 30-45 minutes at 300 degrees (if continuing on the Egg), or on low heat on the stovetop.

Check the consistency of your stew. If it is too thin for your taste, mix 2 tablespoons flour with a small amount of water, and stir into the stew. Allow to cook and thicken for another 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to sit, lid on, for another 10-20 minutes before serving. Serve over noodles or rice, and with some fresh bread to dip in the stew.