Beef Stew and Polenta

Introduction

Some days I want a real dinner without hovering over the stove. An oven-braised beef stew is perfect: do the important work up front (browning and building flavor), then let time handle the rest.

Polenta is the ideal partner—like mashed potatoes with a passport. It soaks up sauce and turns the whole thing into a proper meal.

Quick overview: Even half-thawed frozen stewing beef works here—if the pot braises for 6 hours, a little frozen in the middle is fine. Add the meat to hot oil and don’t stir until it releases on its own; it sticks for a few minutes, but that’s how you build a proper crust and deep flavor. Sauté carrots and onions, dust the meat with a little flour, then deglaze with a glass of red wine to dissolve all the browned bits. Cover with good stock and let the oven do the work. For polenta, bring water (or stock) to a boil, whisk in coarse cornmeal, simmer 30–40 minutes, then finish with butter and Parmesan.

Step-by-step

Ingredients (serves 4)

Stew

• 1 kg stewing beef (2.2 lb), in large chunks
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp flour
• 3 dl red wine (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1–1.2 l stock (4–5 cups) (beef or chicken)
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and black pepper
• Thyme (optional)

Polenta

• 200 g coarse polenta (7 oz)
• 8 dl water or stock (about 3 1/3 cups)
• 30 g butter (2 tbsp)
• 50 g Parmesan (2 oz), finely grated
• Salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150 °C / 300 °F.
2. Brown the beef: Heat a large heavy pot (Dutch oven) with a little oil over medium-high. Add beef in a single layer. Don’t stir until the pieces release on their own (it can take several minutes). Brown in batches, season with salt/pepper, and remove.
3. Vegetables: Lower the heat slightly. Sauté onions and carrots in the same pot until the onions turn translucent. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
4. Flour: Return the beef and toss with the flour.
5. Deglaze: (Optional but nice) Remove the beef again. Add red wine and scrape up the browned bits. Simmer 2–3 minutes.
6. Long braise: Return everything to the pot. Add stock to just cover the meat. Add bay leaves (and thyme if using). Bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the oven for about 6 hours, until the beef is fall-apart tender.
7. Season: Taste and adjust salt and pepper. If you want a thicker sauce, simmer uncovered on the stovetop for a few minutes.
8. Polenta: Bring water/stock to a boil with a pinch of salt. Whisk in the polenta in a thin stream. Reduce heat and simmer 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally (more often near the end). Stir in butter and Parmesan.
9. Serve: Spoon polenta into bowls and top with stew and plenty of sauce.

Tips

• Short on time? Cut the beef a bit smaller and braise 4–5 hours, but don’t go too small—you want tender, not dry.
• Leftovers are even better the next day. Reheat gently and thin with a splash of stock/water if needed.