From Our Kitchen, Grams’ Red Wine Beef Stew

Welcome to our first Hornitos Beef blog! We are excited you’re here and hope to share our story with you through photos, videos, and our favorite recipes.

A Recipe Passed Down Through Generations

To start us off, we’re introducing our Red Wine Stew, straight out of my Gram’s kitchen, passed down to my mom and now to me and my sister.

Where did I get my knack for cooking? It started by watching my grandma make our Sunday dinners, where our whole family would gather around her table and make memories we’ve come to cherish. My mom, who learned how to feed four kids on a budget, was my next influence.

Then came my first and one of my favorite jobs. At the age of 12, I went to work for family friends each summer in the Ansel Adams Wilderness at Minarets Pack Station. There, I helped take clients out on horseback rides through the wilderness, tended to the lodge, and assisted on deluxe trips in the backcountry.

Cindy taught me the importance of prep work, cleaning while you cook, and how to multitask with the best of them. We fed a large crew each morning, afternoon, and evening. I learned to cook heavy, hearty meals with lots of love and butter. Cooking for a crew at high altitude calls for high calories.

Fast forward to today, and now I cook for our crew here at the ranch. Seven mouths to feed each morning, afternoon, and evening is no small chore. On big workdays like branding, processing, and preg checking, I offer meals to anyone who’s around. I enjoy packing food for church gatherings and ladies’ Bible studies.

I realized at a young age that I get joy out of feeding people, how it brings people together, fills them up, and makes them feel cared for and comforted. On busy nights, we get creative. I utilize crock pots all year round.

Back to the Stew

This is a great recipe to throw in a crock pot. Frozen meat at 5:00 a.m., and you come home to hot, tender stew. Or, if I have the time, I’ll do the slow, steady process of searing, seasoning, and simmering.

Grams’ Red Wine Beef Stew

Serves: A hungry crew
Cook Time: 3 hours stovetop or 8–10 hours slow cooker

Ingredients

• 2–3 lbs Hornitos beef stew meat
• 3–4 russet potatoes, diced
• 4–5 carrots, sliced
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 (14–15 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1–1½ cups red wine
• 2–3 cups beef broth
• 2–3 bay leaves
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Stovetop Instructions (Slow and Steady)

1. Season beef generously with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and sear beef until browned on all sides.
3. Add onion and cook until softened.
4. Return beef to the pot and add carrots, potatoes, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, red wine, and enough beef broth to cover.
5. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 2½ to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender.
6. Remove bay leaves, adjust seasoning, and serve hot.

Crock Pot Instructions (Busy-Day Favorite)

1. Add beef, fresh or frozen, to the crock pot.
2. Add all remaining ingredients.
3. Cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.
4. Remove bay leaves, stir, and serve.

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