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Traditional Beef Stew

A stew of beef, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and vegetables simmered in broth.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 18 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Traditional Beef Stew

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the beef

  1. Heat oil in cooker until pan is hot but not smoking.

  2. Season beef generously with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Shake off excess flour.

  3. Sauté the meat in three separate batches, uncovered, stirring only occasionally, until well browned. Transfer the beef to a plate.

  4. Discard the oil and wipe out the pan. Repeat with remaining batches.

Build the base

  1. Return pot to stove and melt butter over medium‑high heat.

  2. Add onion and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

  3. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute.

  4. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute more.

  5. Return beef to pot, add water or broth, and bring to a simmer.

  6. Tie parsley, thyme, and bay leaves with kitchen twine and add bundle to pot.

  7. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste.

Pressure cook and serve

  1. Close lid and bring to high pressure. Cook for 30 minutes.

  2. Release pressure and open lid.

  3. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, and tomatoes, and close lid. Bring to high pressure and cook for 6 minutes.

  4. Release pressure and remove and discard herb bundle.

  5. Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.

  6. Divide among bowls and serve immediately.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1369Calories
78 gProtein
46 gFat
158 gCarbs

Counts 17 of 18 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 17 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Beef100g cooked250
Chicken100g cooked165
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Celery Stalks1 stalk (40g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Thyme1 tsp dried (1.4g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together17,451 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  4. Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,092 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Beef chuck
Connective tissue breaks down during long cooking, giving tender, rich meat.
Flour
Coats the beef so it browns well and thickens the cooking liquid slightly.
Onions
Browning them adds sweetness and savory depth to the broth.
Tomato paste
Browning concentrates its flavor and adds savory depth and color to the stew.
Red potatoes
Hold their shape under pressure while absorbing flavor and adding body.
Red wine vinegar
Adds a bright acidity that balances the rich, savory broth.

The step that matters

Browning the beef in batches. Crowding the pan traps steam so the meat greys instead of browning. Browning in small batches in a hot pan builds the deep, savory flavor that the broth depends on.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, beef, pepper, butter, onion, garlic, tomato):

  1. Thymefits better
  2. Cuminfits better
  3. Parsleyfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, beef, pepper, butter, onion, garlic, tomato. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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