Beef Stew with Buttered Egg Noodles

From Rachel Ray's magazine. Different type of stew than what I am use to. I'd have to say it wasn't really a stew more like meat and gravy over noodles. Overall we liked it and I actually got the kids to eat the stew, which they normally don't.


2 1/2 to 3 pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshlly ground pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
2 cups beef broth
8 ounces egg noodles

1. Preheat the oven to 350º. Place the meat in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and toss to coat. In a large Dutch oven or ovenproof pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat until the butter stops foaming. Add a quarter of the meat to the Dutch oven and brown, about 6 minutes; transfer with a slotted spoon to a platter. Cook the remaining meat in 3 batches, adding 1 more tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon butter to the Dutch oven for each batch.
2. Add the onion, garlic and thyme to the Dutch oven and cook until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the browned beef, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, paprika, cinnamon, bay leaf and beef broth and bring to a simmer. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook until the beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
3. About 20 minutes before the stew is done, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain and toss with the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons butter. Serve the stew over the noodles.