Glad it turned out so terrific, I'll bet ya could use the crock-pot as well since it did take 7 hours to cook.

I had to laugh when I read the recipe because I saw red wine as one of the ingredients:D

Thanks for sharing the recipe.

I made beef-stew today, next time I'm going to marinate with soy-sauce great idea, I will also add some red wine next time. Thanks Cookie:)

Can you put "too much" wine in a beef stew. I don't mean a whole bottle. But what is the ideal quantity for, perhaps a kilo (sorry 2lb) of beef, and associated vegetables? My stew has

Beef
Onion
Carrots
Parsnips
Turnip
Tomato puree
Mushrooms
Beef stock (cubes)
Small, what we call 'New Potatoes'
A generous portion of Claret
Bayleaf
A splash of Worcester sauce
Salt, Pepper

But is lacking a 'kick' to it.

>>too much wine?

oh indeed. especially with a wine that makes its own statement or for example a fortified wine.

I'd go with max one cup/250 ml with a kilo of beef in the hearty red variety.

>>new potatoes - ayup - little guys, freshly dug, that's their moniker over here as well.

>>lacking kick
I'd forgo the beef stock cubes completely. heavily brown the beef - that'll give you oh, four or five thousand times the "beef cube" flavor contribution - and a whole lot less salt. "browning" the beef does not mean making the color turn from red to brown - it means developing a dark crusted layer on (a significant percentage) of the outside of the cubes - darn near to "burnt" works. the browned layer / color gets almost entirely "washed off" in the stew liquid - but the flavor stays in the pot.

fresh ground black pepper - fresh ground is a different animal than pre-prepared.

onion: need a sharp onion - typically these are in the yellow family - local stuff may vary - but this is not a job for a wimpy mild onion.

leeks - subtle but nice addition to the onion.
bayleaf - for a kilo you'll need four small/medium or three large.
dry mustard - can't do without that.

soy sauce is a good suggestion - has a kick.
celery seed - another of my favs

also - brown the mushrooms - that's another subtle flavor add. or - use the liquor from reconstituted dried mushrooms as part of your liquid.

I use the basics you listed (turnips/parsnips/potato/etc) but I never use a tomato sauce/paste in my "beef stew" - good for pizza, not to my taste for stew - but that's just me.

you should get all the thickening power you need from the potato _presuming_ they are a high starch variety. for example those scrumptious little red potatoes (Pontiac/red bliss) are low starch aka waxy but do not break down and thicken the stew. add a finely diced russet / aka 'mealy' variety works well to thicken if you're using waxy new potatoes.

Well. I will be generous and give my beef stew 7/10. After all. It was my first one. The meat was tender and tasty. The liquid was nice but could have benefitted from 'something else' in it. Many thanks. I have taken on board, your recommendations. No doubt another stew will follow in the not too distant future.