Beef Stew with Wild Mushrooms.

I love stew and coincidentally, its the theme of this months Waiter, Theres Something in My...! This recipe was taken from Kalyn's Kitchen and adapted slightly to fit my cravings, although I am sure it would be delicious in Kalyn's adaptation from a Mark Bittman recipe. Of course, I just realised that this is HER submission for the meme, so I'll make a different stew to submit for myself. In the meantime, here is my take on it.

Beef Stew with Dried Mushrooms
(about 6 servings, adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen's adaptation from Mark Bittman's The Best Recipes in the World, page 381)

2 cups beef stock, heated to boiling
2 cups dried chanterelle and porcini mushrooms
1 red onion, chopped
2 lb sirloin tip roast, cut into pieces about 1" or slightly larger
olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes (I use Muir Glen)
1/4 cup tomato paste
bay leaves (I just cut a bunch from my bay tree)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
3 cups red potatoes

Preheat Oven to 300F

Heat stock to point of boiling in saucepan, turn off heat, then add mushrooms and let them soak for at least half an hour.

In large heavy pan, heat olive oil. Season beef well with salt and pepper and sear in batches, setting aside seared beef.

In same pan, saute onions until soft. Add tomato paste and cook for another minute or two. Deglaze the pan with red wine, then add fire roasted tomatoes, the meat, the mushrooms and stock and bay leaves. Cover and place in the oven for about one hour.

Cut potatoes into roughly 2 inch pieces and add to the stew, stirring well to coat. Return to the oven for a further 45 minutes. Then remove the lid and allow stew to cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Serve hot.