Country Stew with Fennel

Chef

Judith Finlayson

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Cookbook

Canadian Diabetes Slow Cooker Recipes

Published by Robert Rose

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This image courtesy of Colin Ericcson

Full of character, this robust beef stew, which is rooted in French country cooking, is the perfect antidote to a bone-chilling night. Don’t worry if you’re not a fan of anchovies — they add depth to the sauce and their taste is negligible in the finished dish. I like to serve this over quinoa or whole wheat couscous, liberally garnished with parsley, but mashed potatoes work well, too.

Makes6 servings.

Cooking MethodSlow Cooking

CostModerate

Easy

Total Timehalf-day

Make Ahead RecipeYes

One Pot MealYes

OccasionBuffet, Casual Dinner Party

Recipe CourseMain Course

Dietary ConsiderationDiabetic, Egg-free, Lactose-free, Peanut Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free

EquipmentCrock Pot, Mortar And Pestle

MealDinner

Taste and TextureHerby, Meaty, Savory

Ingredients

½ tsp (2 ml) fennel seeds
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
1½ lbs (750 g) trimmed stewing beef, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
2 onions, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 bulb fennel, trimmed, cored and thinly sliced on the vertical
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 anchovy fillets, minced
1 tsp (5 ml) dried thyme leaves
¼ tsp (1 ml) salt
½ tsp (2 ml) cracked black peppercorns
1 tbsp (15 ml) all-purpose flour
1 can (28 oz/796 ml) diced tomatoes, including juice (see Tip)
2 bay leaves
½ cup (125 ml) chopped pitted black olives

Instructions

In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast fennel seeds, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Immediately transfer to a mortar or a spice grinder and grind. (Or place the seeds on a cutting board and crush, using the bottom of a bottle or cup.) Set aside.
In same skillet, heat half the oil over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add beef, in batches, and cook, stirring, adding remaining oil as necessary, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to slow cooker stoneware.
Reduce heat to medium. Add onions, celery and bulb fennel to pan and cook, stirring, until celery is softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, anchovies, thyme, salt, peppercorns and reserved fennel seeds and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, just until mixture begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add bay leaves and stir well.
Transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours, until beef is tender. Discard bay leaves. Stir in olives and serve.

Notes

A large (minimum 5 quart) slow cooker is required.
Make Ahead: This dish can be partially prepared before it is cooked. Complete Step 1. Complete Step 3, heating 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil in pan before softening onions. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to cook, either brown the beef as outlined in Step 2 or add it to the stoneware without browning. Stir well and continue with Step 4.
Mindful Morsels: When cooking beef, trim as much of the visible fat as possible from the meat to reduce the calories and the amount of saturated fat you consume. About half the calories in untrimmed beef comes from the fat.
Large cans of tomatoes come in 28 oz (796 ml) and 35 oz (980 ml) sizes. For convenience, I’ve called for the 28 oz (796 ml) size in my recipes. If you’re using the 35 oz (980 ml) size, drain off 1 cup (250 ml) liquid before adding to the recipe.