Italian Beef Stew

This one's a keeper!  I found this recipe on Pinterest, but I modified it enough that it's worth me making notes on it. 

Hub is not a huge fan of soup.  I don't know, maybe it's because he was the youngest of six kids and by the time he was in high school his mom was still cooking for kids that were no longer living at home.  Something about eating left overs for days...  At any rate, even he liked this and it made the perfect amount.  Enough for a bowl the next day and that's it.  I may or may not have sweetened the deal with some corn bread.  T had, count 'em, 2 bowls AND asked for more the next day.  

I call that success.

This is a stew that you can easily swap in and out whatever you have on hand or sounds good like corn or green beans or peas or...

ITALIAN BEEF STEW

3-4 medium carrots, chopped into 1/2" thick pieces

• 2-3 stalks celery, chopped into 1/2" thick pieces

• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced

6-8 button mushrooms, sliced or chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

• 2 1/2 lbs rump roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces - or Asada cut into bites

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 5 cups low-sodium beef broth - I used water

• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar - I used Garlic infused Rice Vinegar

• 2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes - I used 2 fresh tomatoes that I pureed in the blender

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp dried italian seasoning

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 handfuls chopped fresh Spinach
• 1-2 Zucchini - in 1/4" pieces

1-2 Yellow Squash - in 1/4" pieces

• Optional toppings:

• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

• Parmesan or Romano cheese, for serving
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• In stock pot, medium-high, heat water/broth, garlic, tomatoes.  
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In large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, saute carrots, celery, mushrooms and onion and saute until lightly golden, about 5 - 6 minutes.  Add to broth.

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• Season meat with salt and pepper.  Put flour and meat in a bag and shake to coat. Return skillet to medium-high heat, add remaining 3 Tbsp olive oil. Once oil is hot add beef and cook stirring occasionally until beef has browned. Add 1 cup broth from pot, vinegar and cook, stirring frequently while scraping bottom of pan to loosen browned bits on bottom, until sauce has thickened. If this doesn't release all the bits, do this again after the meat has been transferred.
• Add meat to stock pot and add oregano, Italian seasoning and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste and bring mixture just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add spinach and squash.  Reduce heat, cover pot and simmer 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beef is very tender.  Add more water as needed. It should be a nice gravy.

• Top with fresh herbs and cheese if desired.  
• And as with most stews, this was way better the next day!