Beef Stew; A Hot, Hearty, and Flavor-Packed Winter Favorite

There’s nothing like coming in from the cold to a hot and savory bowl of beef stew. It’s a long-time personal favorite of mine, with tender chunks of beef and a hearty mix of some of my favorite veggies in a savory broth simmered down to a tasty gravy, I’m getting hungry again just thinking about it. If you’re already a fan, then you’ll find a lot to love about this stew; and if you still need some convincing, it comes with a few twists on the classic flavor with the addition of fresh sweet potato and, believe it or not, a bit of bittersweet chocolate.

A Tasty Way to Get Your Vegetables

While the beef may be the namesake of this delicious stew, it’s never complete without the equally delicious blend of veggies and there’s no end to great options here. We went with some onion, green beans, and some Sno Pac organic corn mixed in.

But we had to take advantage of the opportunities that Fall and Winter bring and include some fresh chopped sweet potatoes as a replacement for the regular potatoes you might be used to. All that gets chopped up into more manageable pieces before it’s off to the pot.

The Meat of the Matter (Pun Intended)

It just so happens Midamar has a great Halal beef option specifically for stews, what luck! Brown a few pounds of that in the biggest, the largest pot or Dutch oven you’ve got as everything else will be done in here.

You have the added benefit of this stew smelling incredible the entire time you’re cooking it, as any good stew should. There isn’t much to dislike about beef and tasty veggies simmering in a pot, but you can’t forget the aromatics and some sprigs of rosemary and thyme are the classic go-to’s for a reason. I love the smell of rosemary, especially around this time. It just smells like amazing winter cooking to me.

But It’s Time For A Tasty Twist

This would be an amazing beef stew on its own, but we already have one of those (you can find it here), so we had to experiment with the flavor a little more here. A great way to adjust the flavor profile and add some complexity is with a few spoons of coffee and bittersweet chocolate if you can believe it.

This step is optional, but if you’re in the mood for a sweet and savory flavor combo, give this a shot! Start with about an ounce of chocolate first, or even less, and give it a taste once it’s incorporated. It’s a powerful ingredient and can get overpowering if you add too much, so keep it simple at first and see you like it.

When it’s all said and done, there’s a lot to love about this beef stew. Like I said before, if you’re looking for the savory classic winter recipe then this is a great choice with just a little twist from the sweet potato; but if you’re looking for even more, then the coffee and chocolate add a great complexity to this recipe that sets it apart from other savory beef stews. But don’t take my work for it, give it a try for yourself, share it with a fellow stew lover when you do, and let us know what you think or what you did to make this recipe even tastier!