Recently, my neighbor Anne went on a long trip to England.
She enjoyed traveling through all the different parts of the country and continually sent me photos of all her new adventures. As she traveled through the area, she would always send me photos of the food she was eating. The one thing I noticed is that it was always the exact same meal. It looked like some way or another, it was always a big, hearty bowl of beef stew with a biscuit on the side.
I did not say anything of my observation at the time, but when she returned, I did. I asked her why she always ate the same thing and she told me it is because after trying it on the first day, she fell in love and did not want to eat anything else. She made it her mission to find the best beef stew in all the areas she was in and ate only that for days at lunchtime. She says it was fun and exciting and was still not bored of it after she left the country! Upon returning, she got on the ball and began looking for recipes to make it at home. She found this one and has made it at least once a week ever since her return.

The beef stew Anne makes is so wonderful and comforting. You are going to love this recipe that is basically a hug on a plate. It feels so wonderful to enjoy and really calms and warms you up!
I am always for a recipe that only takes a few minutes to prep and the rest is done while you are spending time with your family. That is time well spent! This dish will take you back to your childhood and you will so want to make it.

Ingredients

• 1-½ pounds potatoes, 1-inch dice
• 2 medium onions, 1-inch dice
• 3 medium carrots, 1-inch chop
• 3 stalks celery, 1-inch chop
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 to 2-½ pounds beef stew meat, 2-inch cubes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ⅓ cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour, for dredging
• 1 cup red wine
• 3 cups Swanson beef broth
• 1 – 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions
Place the potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bay leaf in the liner of a slow cooker. Using kitchen twine, tie together the rosemary and thyme, and add to the slow cooker.
Generously season the beef with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Working in batches, dredge the beef in flour. Shake off any excess and place the beef in the hot sauté pan, browning all sides. Add the seared beef to the slow cooker.
Deglaze the pan with the red wine, loosening up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the mix to the slow cooker.
Add the Worcestershire sauce, beef broth and the diced tomatoes to the slow cooker, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and cook for 6 hours on high.
Remove the cover and continue to cook for an additional 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat and vegetables are fork tender and the stew has thickened.