Beef Stew with Red Wine and Garlic

Any Patricia Cornwall suspense fans will enjoy this cookbook. Food plays an important theme throughout the Kay Scarpetta novels and it's obvious that the author enjoys herself in the kitchen. Last night I made the Beef Stew with Red Wine and Garlic.

Cut 2 pounds of beef round into 1" pieces and shake in a bag with 4 Tbs flour.

Brown on medium high heat in 2 Tbs oil. Meanwhile prepare:
* 1 large onion, cut in 1/8s
* 4 large cloves of garlic, diced or pressed
* 1 carrot, peeled and diced
* 2 celery stalks, diced

Remove the meat when it's browned all over (about 10 minutes) and brown the onions and garlic about 8 minutes. Remove them and brown the carrots and celery about 8 minutes. Return the beef and onions and garlic back into the pot. Add:

* 1 cup red wine
* 2 cups beef broth
* 1 small can of V8 juice
* 1 cup of tomato juice

Stir and scrape to get all the good browned bits off the bottom of the pan, then simmer for an hour to an hour and a half. Add:

* 1 more cup of red wine
* 1 can drained artichoke hearts, cutting into 1/8s if not already cut
* 1 potato, peeled and diced
* 1 cup peas (frozen is fine)
* a handful of asparagus tips (I didn't have any and left them out)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Simmer another hour and a half or so, until the meat is very tender.