Leftover Grilled Steak Tips? Make Steak Stew!

This has got to be, by far, one of the best "beef stews" I have made!  I'm not sure if it is because I used left over grilled steak tips for the beef, or the fact that I didn't mask any of the flavors with lots of herbs and spices.  You'll have to be the judge, but I highly recommend you use a really nice, perfectly cooked beef.  There's nothing worse than having beef stew where the meat is really tough and dry!

Here is your list of ingredients:

Beef (I highly recommend a really 

flavorful, tender meat) no measurement needed!!

2 tbs flour

2 tbs butter

2 tbs cornstarch

olive oil

carrots

celery

onion

garlic

shallots

red potatoes

½ cup barley

at least 6 cups of beef broth

Start by cutting up the veggies (these measurements are approximations - use whatever you would like!:

1-2 cups sliced Carrots

1-2 cups sliced Celery

½-1 cup chopped Onion

½ cup chopped Shallot
5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped

Bundle together some fresh Thyme and Sage and drop into the pan.

Cut up about 6-8 red potatoes and add those.

Once everything begins to get tender, add at least 6 cups of beef broth

In a small pan, melt 2 tbs of butter and blend in 2 tbs of flour, so that it becomes a paste.  Cook for about 2 minutes and remove from the heat.  Whisk in 1 cup of beef broth.   This will make a thick mixture... put this aside.

I cut up all of my leftover grilled steak tips and added them to my veggies, along with about 5 cups of beef broth.  Please feel free to add more broth if you need a larger quantity of soup!  Simmer this for about 40 minutes.  At this point, take some of the broth and add to the flour/butter mixture you put aside.  Then, slowly add back into the soup.  Stir until combined and add ½ cup of barley.  Cover and continue cooking.

Check on the stew every 20 minutes or so.  If you like really thick stew, combine about 2 tbs of cornstarch with a little water and slow stir into your stew.  Under higher heat, it should thicken up immediately.  If not, turn your stove up a little until it is the thickness you like.

And now the best part?  Taste.  It might need a little salt and pepper, but that is about it.  A real "stick-to-your-ribs" stew!