Hearty Beef Stew

Winters in Maine are notoriously cold and unpredictable. Who wouldn't want to curl up with a nice, thick beef stew on a blustery day? It takes about two hours to make this stew, but requires rather little direct attention. You could make it in a crock pot as well if you were truly very busy. Like most recipes you'll find here, many of the ingredients are staples and easy to find. 

Hearty Beef Stew:

• Stewing beef
• 2-3 carrots
• 4-5 medium red potatoes
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups beef broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tbs parsley
• 1 tsp rosemary

1. First things first, chop up your vegetables into bite-sized chunks. In a stockpot, brown the beef in a little olive oil with salt and pepper. Add beef broth, rosemary and parsley. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
2. Add vegetables to pot. Mix together flour and water very well (no lumps). Add to pot and stir. Cover stew and simmer 1 hour. 

This recipe is easy to make, and you can add more or less of anything depending on what you have and how much you want to make!