Recipe: Primal Beef Stew in the Crockpot

I really, really need to learn to take more profesional pictures.Because this stew really deserves someone better than me snapping a phone pic of the stew in the crockpot.

No. Really.

This has to be the best stew I've ever made, and I've made plenty of beef strew before going paleo/primal.

 I ain't just whistling dixie here, y'all.

My hubby asked how I was going to make stew without potatoes. I said I just wasn't going to put any in, and he gave me the hairy eyeball.

Our blogging compatriot, Lola, asked me how I was going to thicken the sauce for the stew without using corn starch (normally I'd use potato starch anyway), and I said arrowroot powder. And got a thumbs up.

See?  These little things are easy to overcome.

So let's get on with the recipe, shall we?

Paleo/Primal Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 1 lb beef, cut into chunks. Use your favorite cut, or what you have on hand.
• 1-2 onions chopped
• 1 cup chopped bell pepper (colors of the rainbow, peeps! Get those vitamins!)
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 stalk chopped celery
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2-4 cups beef stock or low sodium beef broth
• 1 cup red wine (I used Chiraz, because it was what I had on-hand) or 1/4 cup red wine or balsamic vinegar (don't go nuts with the vinegar unless you like things *really* tangy)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder and/or onion powder
• other seasonings to your taste: dried parsley, cayenne pepper, sea salt

Directions

1. put the chunks of beef into a baggies and dump the arrowroot powder and the granulated garlic or onion powder  in there as well.  Shake to coat. (great job for the kids, make them shake the bag and then get them to say, "And I helped!" in their best southern accent) (sorry, I couldn't help myself) If 1/4 cup of the arrowroot powder doesn't coat the beef thoroughly, then go whole hog and put in another 1/4 cup.
2. put a little bit of oil oil in a hot skillet and immediately throw in the onions and peppers. Cook until they start to soften and become fragrant. Take out of the skillet and put into the crockpot.
3. add a little bit more oil into the pan and place the coated chunks of beef into it. Don't crowd them, do it in batches if you have to.  Brown each side of the beef, and place them into the crockpot with the onions and peppers.
4. add the carrots and celery to the crockpot and cover with beef stock.
5. add the spices of your choosing, put on the lid, and cook for 2 hours on low.
6. after 2 hours, add the wine. Stir it well. Cover and cook for another 2 hours.

Viola!  Beef stew that's fit for a king. Or a caveman.

P.S. The only thing I could possibly add to this stew would be mushrooms. When I make this again, and oh yes, I will, I will add them when I add the wine, so they aren't cooked down to nothing.

Enjoy.