Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
  • 3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 pound button mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups veal or beef stock, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 pound small (golf ball size) new potatoes, quartered
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed
  • 1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Method

  • Set a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan and season the beef with 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1 teaspoon Essence and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper.
  • Sear the beef (in 2 batches) in the saute pan for about 2 or 3 minutes per side.
  • Add the butter, mushrooms, flour, veal stock, tomato paste, herbs, spices, and browned meat to a slow cooker.
  • Cover the slow cooker and set the temperature to high.
  • Cook for 1 hour.
  • Add the potatoes and carrots and continue to cook the stew for another 7 hours.
  • During the last hour of cooking, add the pearl onions and replace the lid.
  • Once the stew is cooked, stir in the peas and parsley and serve immediately.
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
  • Yield: 2/3 cup
  • Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William Morrow, 1993.