BEEF STEW

1-1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
2  tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TB tomato paste
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup red wine
2 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp savory
1/2  tsp parsley
1 tsp sugar
3 carrots cut into chunks
2 ribs celery cut into chunks
Frozen peas
Loaf of good French bread
Optional potatoes

Salt and pepper beef pieces.
Heat oil and sauté in small batches making sure all sides of beef are browned.
Remove beef from pan, set on a plate.

Add onions, garlic and red wine to pan and stir briskly,
scraping any beef bits from pan. Add tomato paste and continue stirring.
Put beef and juices back in pan, sprinkle flour over mixture and stir until flour is dissolved.

Add broth, bay leaf, savory, parsley and sugar. Stir until well thickened.
Cook on low for 2 hours. Add carrots/celery and cook another hour,
until vegetables are tender.
Remove bay leaf, add frozen peas in last five minutes.
If you want potatoes in this cook them separately
and add in the last ten minutes, they get too mushy otherwise.