French Oven Stew

Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 1/2 lbs boneless beef stew meat, cut in chunks
• 12 ounces pearl onions
• 4 large carrots, quartered crosswise
• 6 ounces small fresh mushrooms, trimmed
• 3 large celery ribs, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 1/2 cups tomato juice
• 1/2 cup red wine, good quality
• 1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 small bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper (to taste)

Recipe

• 1 heat oven 300 degrees.
• 2 mix all ingredients in a heavy 3 quart ovenproof saucepot.
• 3 cover and bake, stirring once an hour, for 3 hours or until meat is tender and sauce is thickened.
• 4 discard bay leaves before serving or storing.
• 5 serve over buttered noodles if desired.
• 6 you can use frozen small onions instead of fresh but add them to the pot 1 hour before stew is done.
• 7 you can also add frozen peas or frozen beans 20 minutes before stew is done -- .