This beef stew is simple, but absolutely delicious and guaranteed to impress!

[Serves 8]

Ingredients:

2 Carrots

2 Potatoes

2 Sweet potatoes

2 cups red wine

1 Spanish [white] onion

5 cloves garlic

1 lb. stew beef

1 pinch Whole fennel seed

A smattering of whole black pepper corns

Sea Salt

Procedure:

Chop up the carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onion, and put them in a large pot – preferably a stoneware pot or stainless steel with steel handles: this pot is going in the oven, so you don’t want plastic handles! – with a couple of inches of water.

Add the cloves of garlic, unpeeled and whole, a smattering of pepper corns, and a pinch of fennel seeds.

Bring this to a boil on the stove and then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a convection oven, that works best.

Now add the beef, red wine and salt – be careful not to add too much salt! Add a little bit, then taste it after an hour. If you still need more, add a bit, etc.

Now cover the pot and place the stew in the oven. Let it cook for 2 ½ hours.

Serve with bread and salad.