Hearty Beef Stew

3 pounds lean chuck or round, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions, sliced (2 cups)
1 can condensed beef broth
water
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
teaspoon leaf thyme, crumbled
1 bay leaf
2 medium-size turnips, diced (1 cup)
3 potatoes, pared, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 1 1/4 pounds)
4 to 6 carrots, pared, cut into julienne pieces (about 3/4 pound)
1 can (1 pound) tomato wedges in tomato juice
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas

1. Pre-soak the clay pot, both top and bottom, in water for 15 minutes.

2. Shake beef cubes, a few at a time, in a plastic bag with the flour.

3. Brown meat, a few pieces at a time, on all sides in oil in a large skillet; remove with slotted spoon to pre-soaked pot. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from the skillet. Saute garlic and onions until golden; add to pot.

4. Pour beef broth into a 2-cup measure; add water to measure 2 cups liquid. Add broth mixture to skillet; bring to boiling, scraping up browned bits.

5. Combine salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf. Sprinkle beef and onions with 1/2 of the herb mixture. Layer turnips, potatoes, carrots and tomato wedges and juice over beef. Sprinkle with remaining herb mixture. Carefully pour beef broth over. Cover pot; place in center of cold oven. Set oven temperature at very hot (450 degrees).

7. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes. Carefully remove cover and sprinkle over slightly thawed peas. Recover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Uncover and stir gently to mix ingredients. Remove bay leaf before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley, if you wish.

Note: To cook in Dutch oven: Follow recipe, but add an additional 1/2 cup water to broth in step 4. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350 degrees) about 2 to 2 1/4 hours or until meat is tender.

Makes 8 servings

[Magazine clipping. You will note step # 6 is not there. This is not a typo on my part. I don't know if the magazine misnumbered the steps or if step # 6 was lost in the scissors-snipping, because there is a physical break there. It certainly reads consecutively, but I make no warranty. You will also note in step #1 that this recipe was designed for clay-pot cooking methods. With this in mind, I add the commentary from the subheading of the recipe: Here is an old favorite made in a new way. You don't have to watch the pot, and it's ready in less time than it would take if cooked the conventional way.]