Beef Stew, Mostly in the Oven

I made a really good beef stew a little while ago and I don't remember exactly how I did it.  Tonight I made another beef stew and it was also quite good indeed, so I thought I'd better post the recipe here so as not to lose it.  Also I sort of liked that this one does most of its cooking in the oven.. although it doesn't really make all that much difference and you could just do it on the stovetop if you wanted to.

It is basically this recipe: https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/beef-stew-with-carrots-potatoes.html... I only made a couple of small adjustments this time - next time there is one other one I would want to make, and that is to add canned tomatoes.  I simply prefer a beef stew with canned tomatoes in it.  I will include the tomatoes in my version so I don't forget (just be aware that I've never tried actually making this as written)!

Ingredients

• 3 lbs beef cut in chunks (either stewing beef or fancier beef which will probably be even yummier
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
• 3 tbs olive oil
• a sack of pearl onions (or 2 med onions cut in chunks)
• 7 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1.5 tbs tomato paste (this is where the tubes come in handy!)
• 1/4 cup white flour
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 cups broth, preferably homemade (beef or chicken is fine)
• 1 large can tomatoes with liquid (instead of the 2 cups water in the original)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme (or like me use a little bundle of fresh thyme tied with string)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup cranberry sauce or lingonberry jelly (if that's what you happen to have in your fridge)... if you don't have either, substitute whatever seems reasonable (the recipe called for 1.5 tsp sugar)
• 4 large peeled carrots cut in 1-inch chunks on the diagonal
• 1 lb potatoes cut into similar sized chunks as the carrots (peeled if the peels are thick)
• frozen peas (optional) 
• Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• fresh chopped parsley for serving (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 325 and position a rack in the lower-middle
2. Prepare the pearl onions, if using - blanch for 2 minutes then submerse in ice water so you can easily remove the skins
3. Pat the beef chunks dry with paper towel
4. Season the beef with the salt and pepper mixture
5. In a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Brown the meat in 3 batches, turning with tongs, for about 5 minutes per batch; add one tablespoon more oil for each batch. (To sear the meat properly, do not crowd the pan and let the meat develop a nice brown crust before turning with tongs.) Transfer the meat to a large plate and set aside.
6. Add the onions, garlic, and balsamic vinegar to the pan. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping the brown bits from bottom of the pan, for about 3-5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more. Add the beef with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with the flour. Stir with wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. 
7. Add the wine, beef broth, canned tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, and berry sauce/sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, transfer to the preheated oven, and braise for 2 hours. 
8. Remove the pot from the oven and add the carrots and potatoes. Cover and place back in oven for about an hour more, or until the vegetables are cooked, the broth is thickened, and the meat is tender. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. I might add a little Worcestershire sauce at this point next time around. If you want to, add some frozen peas.
9. Garnish with fresh parsley and eat with hot biscuits!