An old friend of mine emailed me; I made some ‘British’-style beef stew for her and her friends a few years back and she wants to know the recipe. I’m very out of practice at cooking and I can’t remember how I made it.
Which would you brown first: onions or beef? Would you pour the fat off afterward, before putting in the stock and other vegetables?
A number of internet sites do not suggest browning the onions at all, but I think it would make the stew a bit sweeter and richer-tasting.
Ground beef? Are you nuts. What you need is inch-cubed stewing beef. Brown the onions (in olive oil) by all means. But make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the beef and let saute with rosemary and thyme and a little mustard and red wine vinegar.