Crock Star: A Beef Stew Recipe from Soupremacy

When he’s not training students at The Chef’s Academy or helping his wife run Nicole-Taylor’s Pasta and Market, Tony Hanslits stirs up inventive soups for downtown lunch crowds at Soupremacy. But before anything hits the eatery’s adorable chalkboard menus, the owners and select patrons savor 10 of his best recipes and rank their favorites. Topping that list was this hearty Irish stew, debuting on Soupremacy’s bill of fare this winter.

Belfast Beef Stew

INGREDIENTS
» 1/2 cup olive oil
» 1 pound stew beef, cubed
» 1 clove minced garlic
» 3 tablespoons tomato paste
» 8 cups beef broth
» 1 tablespoon dried thyme
» 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
» 2 bay leaves
» 3 small all-purpose potatoes, peeled and sliced
» 1/2 cup diced onions
» 1 cup sliced carrots
» 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat, add 2 ounces of olive oil and brown the beef on all sides. This will take about 5–7 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the tomato paste begins to caramelize.
4. Add the broth, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves, and bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the stew, uncovered, for an hour.
6. Drizzle the remaining olive oil into a separate skillet on medium-low heat and cook the carrots, potatoes, and onions, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until they start to caramelize.
7. Add the cooked vegetables to the stew. Let the uncovered mixture continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes or until the vegetables and beef are tender.
8. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the parsley, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.