Italian Beef Stew With Creamy Polenta

Italian Beef Stew With Creamy Polenta
An Italian Twist On An American Classic!
Difficulty: easy
Prep Time:30 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 hours+

Ingredients
1 1/2- 2 lbs beef stew meat, cubed
1 cup flour
canola oil
3 cups rainbow carrots, peeled, cut 2" diagonal
8 oz. cipollini onions, peeled
2 cups celery, cut 2' diagonal
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
2 cups Passata tomato sauce
8 basil leaves
1 cup beef stock
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup Chianti wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 box Polenta
Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
minced parsley for garnish 

Cooking Tools
Large Dutch oven with lid
Medium stock pot

Directions
Preheat Dutch oven on stove on high heat, add enough oil just to coat bottom of Dutch Oven.  Dust stew meat with flour, salt and pepper meat.  Sear and brown meat in the oil in small batches.  Remove meat and set aside.  Place carrots, celery, garlic and onion into the pot and saute and add color to the vegetables, about 10 minutes.  Place meat back in the pot and add Passata, beef stock and wine.  Place lid on pot and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 2 hours, stir occasionally. After 2 hours, add the basil leaves, sugar and the tomato paste and stir. Cook for additional 30-40 minutes with the lid off or until beef is tender, season to taste.  Cook polenta according to directions.  Place polenta into a serving bowl and top with the Italian Beef Stew and garnish with Parmesan cheese and minced parsley.
Serves 4