Brown the cubed meat in the oil, add two cups of water, then the rest of the ingredients. Cover and simmer 1.5 hours. Remove bay leaves, add carrots and potatoes, cook another 30-45 minutes or until tender. As a footnote, I've just browned the meat, then dumped everything in the "crockpot" on low. It produces a stew that tastes as tho' it already been reheated several times. IMHO, that's the best stew.