I know every one is proud of their state and rightly so.  We all have things about the places that we live that are special, unique and wonderful.  Texas is blessed with a very progressive and intelligent agricultural department.  One of the better things that they do is publish and distribute an e-zine called Go Texan (what else?).  There is generally a great recipe or two available either in the magazine on as a flyer.  I tried this one and it is great.  Tell me what you think.

Special thanks to the Texas Beef Council for sharing this delicious beef recipe
and supporting the GO TEXAN Recipe of the Month.

Beef Council logo

Provencal Beef Stew Provencal Beef Stew
Serves 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless beef chuck shoulder roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 cup onion, chopped
1 T. garlic, minced
1 cup dry red wine
3 cups ready-to-serve beef broth
1 can (14 1/2 ounce) diced tomatoes with garlic, undrained
1 T. herbes de Provence
1 pound new potatoes, cut into quarters
2 small zucchini, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices
2 small yellow squash, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices
1/2 cup niçoise olives, pitted and cut in half
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions:
Combine flour, salt and pepper. Reserve 1 tablespoon flour mixture. Lightly coat beef with remaining flour mixture.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in stockpot over medium-heat until hot. Brown 1/2 of beef; remove from stockpot. Repeat with remaining 2 teaspoons oil and remaining beef. Remove beef from stockpot.

Add onion and garlic to stockpot; cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until onions are tender. Add wine; increase heat to medium-high. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until browned bits attached to stockpot are dissolved. Stir in broth, tomatoes, herbes de Provence and reserved flour mixture. Return beef to stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is fork-tender.

Add potatoes, zucchini and yellow squash to stockpot; continue simmering, covered, 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add olives and basil; cook, uncovered, 2 to 3 minutes or until olives are heated through. Serve with cheese, if desired.

Chef's Note:
Herbes de Provence is a dried herb blend used in the cooking in southern France. Often sold in small clay crocks in supermarkets, it's commonly a blend of basil, fennel seed, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, summer savory and thyme.

Pura Vida