Everyone needs a good beef stew recipe and this one is mine. I am a fan of rosemary but if you find it too strong you can reduce the quantity.
Something else. This recipe instantly earned 5 stars when my sister apologised to my mother, turned to me, and said, "this is the best beef stew i have ever had!" Of course, i made some considerable changes to suit my taste. I decided that beef stew needs wine, so in the 45 minute time period i added 125ml of marsala, and for the last 15 minutes (after the peas are added) i threw in about 50ml of sherry. I used almost 1 kg of beef, so i added more beef stock and 2 tablespoons of extra tomato puree. The seasonings were also changed: no bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon of dried rosemary in place of fresh and almost a tsp of paprika. I left out the thyme. I also used tinned mushrooms instead of fresh. Before cooking the meat in the oil, i cooked 2 chopped garlic cloves, then added the beef. I cooked it about 20 minutes longer- maybe more. It really came out delicious, but, as you see, i made a lot of changes, so i will only give it 4 stars (without them it wouldve been too bland).Will definitely make again! - 08 Oct 2008
Altered ingredient amounts. Overall it was very tasty. Good dish for a cold foggy evening. Did not use the crushed chillies. And next time, we would reduce the rosemary. Suggest maybe using 1/2 rosemary sprig. The stew does get dry when reheating for leftovers. I would use this recipe again. - 08 Oct 2008
Used different ingredients. Everyone said this was good, even my picky son and his friend. I used a few pinches of dried Rosemary in place of the fresh. I also added salt. Next time will cut back on the rosemary and thyme. Thank you Marianne for a great recipe and thanks to all the helpful reviews. - 08 Oct 2008