Chunky Beef Stew

It's been chilly lately and really feeling like fall. I've been making lots of soups and stews. This is my favorite recipe for beef stew. I like to make baking powder biscuts and serve those along with it. And yes, I use the Bisquick recipe for biscuts ( I do have a recipe for homemade biscuts, but bisquick is good) Sometimes I cut the biscut dough in random piecs and lay overlapping on top of my stew and bake in the oven, kind of like a meat pie. Also, if I have left over corn that I need to use up, I put that in my stews as well. Anyway, bring on fall and comfort food!!

Chunky Beef Stew

1 onion, chopped
1 pound top round steak, cut into 1 inch chunks (**see note below)
2 1/2 cups beef broth (approx.)
4 medium potatoes, washed and cut into 1 inch chunks
3 carrots, sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1/4 cup  tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon parsley

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add beef chunks and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 more minutes.
Add beef broth, potato chunks, carrots, celery, tomato paste, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, red wine vinegar, and parsley. Add another cup of beef broth if it's not juicy enough. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat to low, (or medium-low, you want this to keep simmering) Cover and simmer stirring occasionally, until the meat and veggies are tender, about an hour. Remove bay leaf and discard.
Spoon stew into bowls and enjoy!
**sometimes when I work, I put a roast in my crock pot with 2 1/2 cups water and a boullion cube or two. I cook on high for about 4 hours. Then I remove the roast and add the rest of the ingredients(usually when I come home for lunch) then I slice up the roast and put back in the crockpot. I allow this all to cook on high in the crock pot until I get home from work. It's good and done, then all I have to do is make the biscuts. If stew is thin, disolve 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch in a 1/4 cup of cold water, add to stew and let continue to cook on high until it thickens. Yummo!!!