Now that the weather’s getting colder, beef stew is one of the ultimate comfort foods, perfect for eating together as a family. There are hundreds of varieties of beef stew from all around the world, but the one that I’ve grown up with is the traditional Jewish home-cooked version. Although the stew takes a long time to cook, it’s incredibly easy and the end result is totally worth it. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 pounds of beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 6 ounce can of tomato paste
• 32 ounce can of beef broth
• 2 cups of baby carrots
• 4-5 small red potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 1/4 cup of water
• Crockpot (also known as a slow cooker)

Directions:

1. Combine the beef, salt, pepper, onion, tomato paste, beef broth, carrots, potatoes, parsley, and oregano into the Crockpot.
2. Cook the stew on LOW for ten hours or on HIGH for 6-7 hours with the Crockpot covered.
3. About 30 minutes before serving the stew, mix the flour and the water together in a small dish and pour that into the Crockpot. Mix it until well-combined. This will give a nice thickness to the stew.
4. Add in the frozen peas. Cook the stew for another 30 minutes, Crockpot covered.

The nice thing about cooking beef stew is that you can start it before you leave for the day and come home to a warm, hearty dinner that will be ready in half an hour. This recipe makes a lot, but beef stew tastes just as good as leftovers the next day as it did that night. Enjoy!