French Stew Recipe

We made French stew again last night and as always it was great. The recipe came from a favorite cookbook: Once a Month Cooking. This recipe is so easy because for the most part you chop it all up, put in the pan and forget about it!

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 cup white wine you can substitute it for water or broth
2 cups chopped carrot
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
16 ounces of peas canned or frozen
8.5 ounces of green beans canned or frozen
1/2 cup less-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes (we left those out last night)
1 bay leaf

Preparation
Preheat oven to 300°.
Heat oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic; cook 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic, beef, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
Cover and bake at 300° for 2 1/2-3 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve with fresh French bread.

Note: To make in a slow cooker, prepare through Step 2. Place beef mixture in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.