Vegetable and Beef Stew over Egg Noodles

This stew is delicious – very flavorful, yet light on meat and heavy on vegtables.  It is based on a recipe written by Allysa Torey, the original owner of Magnolia Bakery in NYC.  It is in her amazing cookbook, At Home with Magnolia.  I modified the recipe for a slow cooker, since my dutch oven was not available.

We are reheating this stew tonight, so I’ll try and take/add a picture then.  Serving it over buttered noodles with a little sour cream and parsley makes a pretty presentation.

Prep time: 30 minutes; Cooking time : 4 hours

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup  minced garlic
• 3 cups red wine
• one 14-ounce can tomato sauce
• one 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 pound potatoes, any variety, unpeeled, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2 chunks
• 1 large yellow onion (about 1/2 pound), peeled and quartered
• 3 cups frozen peas
• 1 pound egg noodles
• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions (green parts only)
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmagiano Reggiano cheese
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Set slow cooker to the fast 4-hour setting.
2. In a large bowl, toss the beef with the flour, paprika, salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and beef (including extra flour) and brown the meat on all sides, stirring occasionally (about 3-5 minutes).  Remove from heat..
4. Add the red wine, tomato sauce and tomato paste to the slow cooker.  Stir in beef, potatoes, carrots and onion.  Place lid on slow cooker and cook for about 3 1/2 hours.  After 3 1/2 hours, stir in the peas and cook for an additional 1/2 hour.
5. Put a large pot of water on to boil over high heat.  Cook the noodles according to the package directions, being careful not to overcook.  Drain the noodles and return to the pot with the butter, scallions, and Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese, tossing gently to evenly coat.
6. Remove the stew from the oven and serve over the egg noodles.  Top with the sour cream and parsley.