Tuscan Beef Stew

1. Put the beef cubes into a bowl. Season cubes of beef well with salt and pepper. Add the flour and toss to coat. Make sure the flour is completely covering the beef.
2. In a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, warm half of the oil. Add the beef and brown well– don’t crowd the pan. I did this in three batches. Don’t worry about the bottom of the pot turning dark brown – that’s flavor! Add more oil as needed. Once all the beef is browned, remove it from the pot and set aside.
3. Add mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic to the pot. Add more oil if necessary to saute until lightly browned.
4. Return the beef cubes to the pot and add the wine. Bring to a simmer, and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. This releases and dissolves all those browned bits. Yummy! Add sun dried tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, thyme, sage, potatoes and stock. Bring to a low boil, cover, and reduce the heat to simmer for about an hour. Add the zucchini chunks for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
5. Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef and veggie chunks to a bowl. Return the ‘sauce’ that is left in the pot to medium high heat and boil until reduced and thick (the consistency of gravy). This should take 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Adjust seasonings (salt and pepper) for the sauce, then return the reserved vegetables and meat chunks back to the pot. Heat until bubbling. Stir in the parsley and basil just before serving.
7. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve with warm crusty bread.