•2 pounds beef stew meat cut into 1-inch chunks
•salt and pepper
•all-purpose flour for dusting meat (1/2-1 cup)
•olive oil or vegetable oil for sauteing
•1 large white onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
•2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
•2-3 carrots, peeled and cut in to 3/4 -inch chunks
•2-3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 -inch chunks
•2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into 3/4 -inch chunks
•1 1/2 - 2 cups red wine
•3-4 cups beef broth
•salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large, oven proof pot on medium high heat with a splash of olive oil. Season the beef with salt and pepper and then dredge it in all-purpose flour, shake it off a little bit, and then cook it in batches until it's nicely browned all around.

Once all the beef is browned and out of the pot resting on a clean plate, add 1 large sliced white onion to the pot, a couple of thinly sliced cloves of garlic, 2 or 3 bay leaves and a sprinkling of dried thyme and let that cook for a minute so the onions soften up.

Once the onions have softened up, add the carrots, potatoes and turnips, add the beef back to the pot and then add 1 1/2 - 2 cups of red wine and enough beef stock to cover.

Turn the heat to high and let it just start to come to a boil, then turn the heat off, put a tightly fitting lid on top and place it on the center rack of the oven. This needs to be in the oven for about 2 hours so the beef is nice and soft when it's done and, after about 10 or 15 minutes, check it to make sure it's just simmering, not boiling, and you might need to adjust the heat to make sure it's not boiling.

When it comes out of the oven season it with salt and pepper to taste and ladle it into deep bowls with a couple of slices of country bread on the side for sopping up the broth.

HINTS:

This can be done from start to finish on the stove top instead of in the oven....just adjust the heat so that it is slowly simmering, still using a lid. Make sure, if you do use the oven, that you're using a oven proof pot...one that can handle the heat, especially the handles on the pot. Be careful taking the hot stew out of the oven.