Beef Stew with Syrah

Beef Stew with Syrah Image by Carly Pildis

By Carly Pildis February 4, 2021

I made this in an Instant Pot, but you can easily make a stove top, just know it will take longer. I love syrah in this stew, as opposed to a more traditional cabernet or Burgundy because its dryness adds a lovely acidic taste to cut through the richness of beef and potatoes.

Ingredients

3 pounds of chuck roast (precut beef stew is usually poor quality. This is worth the extra work to cut down)
2 cups of precut mirepoix ( Since I am making you cut down a roast, I am giving you an easy cheat with the carrots, celery, and onions!)
½ pound of carrots cut into quarters
1 ½ pounds of small red potatoes, halved
6 cloves garlic
Olive oil
10 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups Syrah or your favorite dry red wine.
½ cup of fresh parsley
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 cup water
Garlic salt
1 tablespoon onion powder

Cut your chuck roast into 1 ½ inch pieces. They don’t need to be uniform, but evenish. Cut off and discard extra fat and gristle. Season aggressively with garlic salt and about 5 tablespoons of thyme

Turn your Instant Pot to saute. Drizzle with olive oil. Once the olive oil is sizzling, brown the beef in three batches, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes a batch.

Deglaze your pot with red wine. Add that precut mirepoix and your garlic cloves, Saute in about ⅓ cup of wine for about 15 minutes, until tender and rich with wine flavor. Add carrots, 3 cups of syrah, 1 cup of water, 4 tablespoons of tomato paste, potatoes, and beef. Sprinkle with table salt and onion powder. Give a good stir, then top with a few sprigs of time. Pressure cook for 30 minutes with natural release.

Once pressure cooking is done, remove the thyme stems. Add the remaining tomato paste, 2 or three tablespoons at a time, you may not need all of it to properly thicken. Turn to saute setting and stir until rich, thick, and beautiful. Top with fresh chopped parsley to garnish and add a bright fresh flavor.

Read more about the inspiration behind this Red Wind Beef Stew here.

Carly Pildis is an organizing and advocacy professional living in Washington, D.C.

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