Really great Beef Stew base recipe...and a little weird.
I cooked this in a crockpot - and tweaked a bit, but we loved it.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jammin-beef-stew/
Didn't spray the crockpot with anything
Didn't add parsley
Used our house mix of garlic powder, seasalt and black pepper instead of their suggestions
Used 1/4c grape jelly instead of the 1/2 c jam called for
Added celery
Added a few tablespoons of good beef base
Used a bit more beef broth than called for - didn't use any water
The jam/jelly adds a nice complexity...sort of similar to wine, but milder. Bill likes stew savory so i cut the suggested amount of jam in half. I think more would have been ok too.
I added half of stick of butter too in slices during the last half hour because we used a really lean cut of meat. With a normal fatty stew cut it wouldn't be necessary.
I didn't need to thicken this at all. And the broth is incredible. Cant wait to try the leftovers.
Bill likes his stew thicker so he did pull some out and thickened a bit with cornstarch slurry.
= new reply since forum marked as read
or, what I learned about beef stew this year. 
My deal with beef stew is that the meat has to be tender and flavorful not tough or washed out, the veggies firm but also flavored and the broth good enough to drink out of a cup or why bother? This recipe comes pretty close.
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4 slices of bacon, 2 potatoes, 2 carrots, a small onion, about a cup and a half of sliced mushrooms
1.5 lb sirloin with some fat to it, 4T of unsalted butter, divided into 2 2T pats, a cup of merlot, 32 oz of beef stock
3T of flour for dredging, 2T of rosemary, 2t of thyme.
Blanche two potatoes and two carrots in half inch dice. (The carrots don't have to be tender now because you will simmer them later), about 15 minutes should do it. Drain very well and set aside.
Cook 3 or 4 bacon strips until crispy in a big saute pan. Drain bacon into same pan, pull the bacon, and set aside.
In the same pan, 2T of unsalted butter. Saute a small onion, sliced, or a cup of pearl onions with 1.5 cups of sliced mushrooms until onions are tender but not brown. Drain into same pan and pull onions and mushrooms.
Melt 2T more of unsalted butter into the pan. Brown about a pound and a half of sirloin in one inch dice -- pat it dry first, season with salt and pepper, dredge in about 3T of flour. Do not use lean beef. Use beef with some fat in it or it will be tough and the flavor won't be there. Pull the beef when it is nicely browned.
In the same pan, add a cup of merlot. Add about 1T of rosemary and 2t of thyme -- fresh thyme is nicer but if you use dried, that's fine, just use about half as much. Let the wine reduce by half. Return browned meat, onions and mushrooms to the pan with carrots and potatoes.
Add enough beef stock to cover (about one of those 32 oz cartons).
Simmer at lowest setting for about an hour so the flavors blend. Serve topped with crumbled bacon if desired.
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I love this recipe because it's so simple, it totally demystifies awesome beef stew. Forget about leftovers. People love the broth of this stew, so serve it with something to sop with.
I don't use celery or celery leaves or parsley but a few minced celery leaves would probably do well added to the wine reduction if you have them on hand. I use merlot because one day we were out of burgundy, didn't want white and using the open merlot on hand made an insane difference in the flavor of the broth.
My secret ingredients for beef stew are red wine, bay leaf and HORRORS!!!!! ketchup.
But I also like butter in my stew....I will have to try the jam thing
Made some lentil soup for New Years and added three bay leaves I love that flavor so much
Enjoy your stew!
