Mirepoix Beef Stew

Pauline, my wife has always have a fondness of all things beef, and I been trying to find the perfect beef dish for awhile, and this plate kinda finally found a place, and yeah, satisfied her!

Mirepoix is a french culinary term to mean a base of onions, celery and carrots. This mirepoix can be used to make soup bases, sauces and in this case, a wonderfully aromatic stew base.

To begin, create the mirepoix by sauteing some onions, carrots and celery first. Drizzle just a whisker of white wine and let it cook for a few minutes until the aroma is ever present.

In a separate pan, season the beef cubes and lightly seal it in the pan with some olive oil and set aside. Chop some potatoes into cubes at the same time.

In the mirepoix mix, add it chicken stock or broth enough to create a stew and bring it to an excitable boil. Add it in the beef cubes and potatoes and let it boil for another few minutes, then bring it to a tender simmer. To enhance the flavors, and this purely based on the individual cook's preference, you can add in bay leaves, thyme and other herbs just to give it more perfume.

Cover with lid and let it simmer for at least an hour and a half, two if you really want the meat and the mirepoix to cook thoroughly, and let the flavors immerse and flourish! The beef cubes should be so thoroughly cooked that they will basically be tender to the bite.

5 mins prior to serving, add a knob of butter to give it a rich consistency and the extra flavor and texture and garnish it with chopped parsley or coriander. Best served with some kind of starch like rice or baguettes.