Beef Stew

This is a stove-top stew. It’s fabulous for a chilly day – like the day I post this. Though the amount of garlic sounds like a lot – it truly isn’t.

2-1/2 lbs. stewing beef cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbs. vegetable oil (canola)
2 envelopes of the Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix
1 can chopped-up tomatoes
6 – 8 potatoes – whatever variety you like
1 Large onion
Big, heaping spoonful of minced garlic

Place the flour, salt & pepper in a zip-lock type bag and toss in the beef mixture a few at a time until they are coated – tap off excess flour; place chunks on a plate. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot (such as a Dutch oven if you have one) over med-hight heat and add the chunks a few at a time to brown them all over.
Add both envelopes of the soup mix, can of tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, 2 cups of water, and the 1 can of beef broth. Bring this to a boil; scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon or spatula to get the browned bits all stirred into the broth. Add the potatoes, onion, carrots, turnips, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 3 hours, stirring occassionally.