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so here's what I did to make my beef stew:
I got these ingredients:
First you'll want to toss the cubed beef with flour and black pepper to get an even coating. Then fry it in a frying pan with some olive oil (I used cast iron) for 1 to 2 minutes on both sides, you want to get a crust on the beef but to also keep the interior raw. Now set the beef aside and cover it loosely.
Deglaze the fond in the pan with some beef stock because there's tons of good flavor in there. Once the fond is dissolved pour the solution into a stock pot. Add the rest of the beef stock. Put it on medium heat.
While that is heating up you'll want to chop your carrots, celery, and potatoes. Two full-size carrots, a quarter to half a bunch of celery, and two russet potatoes ought to do it, but these can be adjusted according to your preferences. Chop them to your preferred size and put them in. I put them in now rather than later because I like them very soft.
Let things come to a gentle boil. Now you'll want to take some white flour and mix it into some water until there's no clumps. I have a trick for this: stir it in container A with a fork as good as you can, then pour it through a wire mesh strainer into container B to get the clumps out, then you kinda rinse the clumps by pouring container B over them back into container A, repeat until the clumps are gone. Now you have flour suspended in water with no clumps. How much flour and water you ask? I used 1/3 cup of flour and 1 cup of water but it really depends how thick you want it.
So then you pour your clumpless flour suspension into the stew. Also now you can add your white wine. Between 1/2 cup and 1 cup of wine ought to do it. Now is also when I added the herbes de provence, oregano, some more black pepper, about a quarter cup of worcestershire sauce, and two or three bouillon cubes.
Let everything stay at a gentle boil like this uncovered for twenty minutes, stirring to prevent it burning on the bottom.
Now you dump in the whole can of diced tomatoes. Put some tomato paste in there and don't go easy on it. Also now is a good time to put in the beef that you set aside earlier. Take a whole medium chopped onion (or equivalent quantity of chopped shallots) and put that in there too. Also no fewer than four fresh peeled and crushed garlic cloves. By waiting until now to add these things, they will retain their texture and the brightness of their flavor a little better. Also add about a tablespoon of onion powder and generous amounts of balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar for good measure.
Taste the stew now. Add seasoning to taste. Too salty? Add more red wine vinegar. Too bland? Add another bouillon cube, or more tomato paste, or more worcestershire sauce.
Turn it down to medium-low and let it sit uncovered for another thirty minutes, stirring as needed to prevent burning or fonding on the bottom as before.
Now you add the secret weapon that takes beef stew from being pretty good to making you just about cum your pants. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of red wine. If you add too much, it will taste bitter, but if you add just enough then this really is where the magic in a beef stew comes from.
Put a lid on it now and let it simmer covered for 45 minutes to an hour, but every 10 to 15 minutes, remove the lid and stir, scraping any fond that forms on the bottom, before putting the lid back on.
You can eat your stew now if you want, but it will be better if you let it rest with the burner off for another 15 minutes. Serve with warm bread.