Classic Stovetop Beef Stew

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• 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (plus additional as needed)
• 2 pounds beef stew meat
• 1 cup diced white or yellow onion
• 2 ribs celery (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup medium to full-bodied red wine (like Cabernet, Zinfandel, or Merlot)
• 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 each bay leaf
• 1 pound baby yellow or red potatoes (or a combination of both, halved or quartered)
• 3 each or 4 carrots (peeled and roughly chopped)
• 1 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw)
• ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

1. Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl. Cut any large pieces of stew meat into smaller bite-size pieces, if necessary.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. Add about half of the meat to the pan, or as much as you can without overcrowding the pan. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the spice mixture over the meat and sauté the beef until nicely browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a dish and set aside. Repeat with the remaining beef, adding additional oil if needed, and seasoning with 2 more teaspoons of the spice mixture. Reserve remaining spice mixture for later.
3. Add additional oil to pan if needed and add the onion, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the tomato paste and stir until well combined. Add the red wine and increase the heat under the pot to bring the mixture to a boil. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, remaining spice mix and the bay leaf. Add the beef and all the juices that have accumulated back to pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to LOW, cover, and simmer for 1 ½ hours, or until the beef is fork tender.
4. Add the potatoes and carrots and raise the heat under the pot to bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to LOW, cover and simmer for another 30 to 40 minutes until the veggies are fork tender. Stir in the frozen peas and parsley. Combine the water and cornstarch in a measuring cup or small bowl and stir it into the beef stew. Continue cooking, uncovered, until thickened.
5. Discard the bay leaf before serving.
6. Slow Cooker Instructions: Follow as directed above to create the seasoning mix and brown the beef in batches, transferring the browned beef to a 6-quart slow cooker.
7. Slow Cooker Instructions: Add additional oil to the pan if needed and add the onion, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the tomato paste and stir until well combined. Add the red wine and stir well. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker with the beef.
8. Slow Cooker Instructions: Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, potatoes, carrots, remaining spice mix and the bay leaf to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, or until the beef and veggies are fork tender.
9. Slow Cooker Instructions: About 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, stir in the frozen peas. Combine the water and cornstarch in a measuring cup or small bowl and stir it into the beef stew. Cover and continue cooking for the remaining 30 minutes or until thickened. If stew does not thicken to your liking, stir in an additional 1 tablespoon cornstarch combined with 1 tablespoon water and allow the mixture to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken a bit more.
10. Slow Cooker Instructions: Discard the bay leaf and stir in the parsley before serving.