All-American Beef Stew

By Addie

My mother was born and raised in Japan and wasn't familiar with many American dishes when she married my father and moved to the States. This is one of the recipes her mother-in-law handed down to her. —Frances Aldal, Antelope, California

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4-1/2 cups water, divided
• 1 large onion, halved and sliced
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 medium potatoes, cubed
• 6 medium carrots, sliced

Preparation

Step 1

Place 1/2 cup flour, seasoned salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.

In a Dutch oven, brown meat in oil in batches. Remove and set aside. Add 4 cups water to the pan, stirring to loosen browned bits. Add the onion, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic, sugar, salt, paprika, allspice, bay leaf and remaining pepper. Return beef to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Stir in potatoes and carrots. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until meat and vegetables are tender.

Combine remaining flour and water until smooth; stir into the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Discard bay leaf. Yield: 8 servings (2-1/2 quarts).
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REVIEWS;

It is pretty bland, needs some serious sprucing up!

I made this stew as directed, and we really enjoyed the taste of it. The beef was very tender! However, after adding the remaining flour/water in the final step, the stew was much too thick. I would make this again, but I don't think it's necessary to add any more flour to the stew at the end.

I made as directed, but upon tasting didn't like the strong lemon flavor at all. I modified the recipe by adding 3 bouillion cubes, some frozen peas, and a little bit of browning sauce. It was ALOT better than.