Italian Beef Stew with Rosemary

Jamie Stolper

This is a very flavorful beef stew that is a favorite with my family. My oldest son, now living on his own, always requested this dish when he came home from college. The stew is fairly spicy - thanks to the onion, garlic, and black pepper - but tastes wonderful accompanied with noodles, rice, or even boiled or mashed potatoes. I make a double batch of this recipe and freeze half for a future dinner.

Ingredients

2 - 2 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck or other stew meat, cut in 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup diced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can tomatoes, preferably Italian, cut up
1/2 cup minced parsley
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large heavy saucepan, brown beef in hot oil. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onions, celery, and garlic to the pan drippings and sauté until tender. Return beef to the saucepan. Add the tomatoes with the juices, parsley, wine, salt, rosemary, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer about 2 hours or until the beef is tender. Serve immediately or let cool and refrigerate or freeze.

Makes about six servings.