Beef Stew

The success to any beef stew is the cut of the meat.  Not all the beef stew meat will make great stew.  The meat should be dark red and have some fat to it.  I season the meat with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, some cayenne, cumin and fresh thyme. In a plastic bag, I add about 3 tablespoon of flour and add the seasoned meat into the bag.  Then brown the meat in batches, it is important not to overcrowd the meat in the pot. Add the meat and the juices back into the pot, add half chicken stock and water just enough to cover the meat. Add the fresh thyme (it must be fresh) because it transform the whole stew when it is fresh.  I then  I also add a splash of white whine to give it more taste.  It is cooked in my Le Creuset cast iron enamel pot for 1 1/2 hours before I add my frozen vegetable and cook for another 1/2 hour.  If everything goes right, you'll get the most tender delicious beef stew. 

Hint:  I can never finish using the fresh thyme before it starts to wilt.  Therefore I freezes it and when I make my stew, I just toss a few sprigs of frozen fresh thyme in the stew.  It is still better than dried thyme. It is fine up to 3 months or before it gets all frost bitten.