Barefoot Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs lean beef stew meat, cubed
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 10 oz sliced mushrooms
• 1 lb new potatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup Barefoot Merlot
• 3 ½ - 4 cups beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 ½ tsp herbed sea salt, or to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• fresh minced parsley, for serving

Directions

1. Place the beef in a large dish and sprinkle with flour, a half teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Toss well so each piece of beef is covered.
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. When hot, add the flour covered beef and brown. This should only take about four minutes --- you’re not cooking the beef through here, just browning.
3. When the beef has browned, carefully transfer it to a plate. Set aside.
4. Turn down the heat to medium and drizzle a little more oil in your pot. Add the onion and sauté for about six minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the diced carrot, celery, garlic and minced rosemary. Stir well and sauté for five more minutes.
5. Add the beef back in the pot. Pour in the Barefoot Merlot and the beef broth. Stir well and increase the heat to a boil. Then, reduce heat to simmer and cover the pot halfway. Let the stew simmer like this for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
6. After 2 hours, add the diced potatoes and mushrooms. You may need to add a little more beef broth at this point if the stew seems too thick. Continue simmering until potatoes are tender, about 30 more minutes.
7. Season stew with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh minced parsley on top.