Vegetable Beef Stew

2 lbs stew meat
1/2 c flour
3 T oil
2 medium onions chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cloves
2-4 bay leaves
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
12 carrots chopped
8 potatoes chopped
2-4 onions cut into chunks

1. Shake meat and flour together in a bag.
2. Heat 2 T oil in large pot, add and brown meat in two batches. Remove meat from pot.
3. Add 1 T oil. Cook chopped onions until slightly brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, paprika, and cloves and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Return meat to pot. Add 4 c hot water, bay leaves, worcestershire sauce, salt, sugar, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove bay leaves and garlic cloves. Add vegetables. Cook 35 to 40 minutes until vegetables are tender.
5. To thicken the stew - in a bowl mix 1/4 c water and 2 T flour, stirring until smooth. Add to stew.

-Laura, from Nancy Tuttle