I made this great stew years and years ago and forgot all about it until I was going through my recipe box! I can’t believe I forgot about it because it is the best way to make Beef Stew in my opinion.
It’s from the Marcia Adams Cooking from Quilt Country cookbook. These recipes are from Amish and Mennonite kitchens. There are many recipes I have made from that cookbook including Pineapple Upside Down cake. The cake uses Mace in it and gives the batter an unbelievable flavor.
This Country Stew (or Beef Stew is super easy to make. There is no browning of the meat, or precooking of the vegetables. You through everything into one heavy oven proof stockpot, give it a quick stir, cover and put in the oven on 300 degrees F for 5 hours. That’s it!
I did tweak it slightly by increasing the tapioca slightly and adding about a cup of beef stock instead of the 1/4 cup water they show in the recipe. On occasion I have also added some fresh small peeled pearl onions (not the type in the jars) instead of the whole onion cut up. 
This is a thick stew. Because it cooks in so little water, the potatoes and carrots keep their shape but yet are completely cooked and have the perfect chew to them.
The flavors in this stew are unique to a lot of recipes you see. Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar are added. I omitted thew Allspice, Marjoram and Thyme.
The tapioca is a thickener in this recipe.
The BEST part of this recipe is you throw the ingredients into the pot, cover and forget about it for 5 hours. No mixing in between.
Try this recipe especially during the cold months. Add a salad and some fresh crusty bread and you have a delicious meal, hopefully with plenty of leftovers!
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:
Chuck Beef Stew Meat – I use chuck beef stew meat, not lean. I think the fat in the chuck helps tenderize the meat. And after 5 hours of cooking, this meat is fork tender.
Red Potatoes – I always use red potatoes. They have the right amount of starch and moisture and hold together perfectly in this stew.
Carrots – I buy carrots in 5 pound bags which yield good sized carrots.
Celery– I always use celery hearts so you can adjusted the amount of celery. Amount called for in the recipe is for regular sized celery.
Onion – Onion called for in the recipe is small whole ones, that you cut up. You can also use in addition to or in place of the small peeled white pearl onions. You can usually get them already peeled in a container at the grocery store.
Canned Tomatoes – I use San Marzano from Italy, but you can use any canned whole tomatoes.
Minute Tapioca – Tapioca in the recipe is used to thick the stew.
Worcestershire Sauce – Adds a great depth of flavor to this dish.
Brown Sugar – Adds a bit of sweetness to this dish.
Beef Stock or Broth – I add beef stock instead of the water in the original recipe.
Salt, Pepper, Allspice, Marjoram, Thyme, Bay Leaf – Adds flavor to this dish. Omitting a spice that doesn’t appeal to you will not change the outcome of this dish.
Fresh Parsley – Garnishing with fresh Parsley must be done at the end. If you add before cooking it loses its color and flavor. 
Country Stew
Description
Thick, hearty beef stew, perfect for a cold Winters supper.
Ingredients
2 to 2-1/2 lbs chuck beef stew meat, cut into bite sized pieces
4-5 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks slightly bigger than the meat
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 ribs celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 small onions, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (or 15 or so whole pearl onions)
1 – 28 oz can whole tomatoes with juice
1 cup beef stock or broth
6-7 Tbsp minute tapioca
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Cut meat into bite sized pieces.
Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces a bit larger than the meat.
Clean the carrots, onions and celery, and cut all into 1 inch pieces.
In a large, heavy oven proof stockpot, combine all the ingredients except the parsley. Give a quick stir to incorporate the tapioca.
Bake, covered for 5 hours without stirring.
Add parsley just before serving.
Notes
This dish does not freeze well.
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