ANY AMOUNT OF:

beef (or any other type of meat)
celery
onions (red or plain)
bell peppers (optional)
garlic cloves
carrots
red wine (just enough to cover the top of the stew OR two cups)
olive oil (preferably extra virgin)

Chop up celery, onions, peppers, garlic and carrots into long strips. Then chop the other way. They should turn out to be little squares (dice).

After heating up a pan with olive oil, add all of the cut up vegetables. Sauté them for a few minutes, or, until they caramelize into a golden brown. When finished sautéing, transfer to a large soup pot.

Note: There is nothing in this soup pot yet other then the vegetables. Make sure that the pot isn't hot, otherwise the vegetables will burn.

In the same pan you sautéed the vegetables in, adding nothing, throw in the beef, or any other meat that you decided to use. The chunks of meat should be small to medium bite-sized pieces.

Once brown, add those to the pot with the vegetables. Also add in any other vegetables, making sure that they're also cut up into little squares.

Now you may turn on the heat for the pot. As soon as you do, though, add in the wine so that it just covers the meat and vegetable pile. The heat should be on medium-low or just medium. Cover the pot.

Depending on what kind of stove that you are using, it should take somewhere between thirty to forty-five minutes to cook. Make sure to check and stir the stew every fifteen minutes of so, in case it needs to be cooked longer or shorter.

When finished, allow to cool. This should take about ten to fifteen minutes.

After you've served it to yourself and/or your friends/family, ask how it is. Enjoy!

Serves great with: polenta, rice, or bread with butter.

Variation I: Instead of using red wine, use water.
Variation II: Use any type of vegetable that you want, adding or taking out anything that you like or dislike.

Submitted by: Deryn