Beef Stew & On the Menu Board

Beef Stew can be hard to get right. I remember some of my stews early in my marriage and motherhood that had to be choked down. That is if it could be chewed at all. It is pretty easy to ruin stew beef. I finally have it down to a science now and thought I would share my recipe.

2 lb stew beef

7 to 8 med. sized carrots cut in chunks

4 yellow potatoes cut in chunks

2 stalks of celery sliced

1 sweet potato or 1/2 butternut squash cut in chunks

large onion cut in strips

3 garlic cloves chopped

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup red wine (optional)

thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt and pepper

3 Tbsp oil

4 Tbsp butter

With a dutch oven or other pot with a tight fitting top pour oil onto bottom and heat on med. heat. Add stew beef and sear all sides and sprinkle with salt and pepper. When cooked on all sides add flour and stir around. Add water up to about 2 inches of the edge of pan.  You need enough water, but you don’t want it to seep out and onto your stove. Cover with top of pot and cook on medium low heat for a few hours. You don’t want the water to boil hard. Just a simmer. The key here is to cook the beef slow. That is what makes it tender and tasty! You can check it every so often. You don’t want it to be too done, because then it looses its taste and texture.

When the meat is pretty tender turn off the heat and set the pot aside. In another pan add butter and melt. Add onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, celery, squash and saute until the veggies are tender but not too soft. They will cook a little more after you add them to the beef. Add everything to the stew pot where your meat is and stir around.  Add a little more salt and pepper and any herbs you choose. You could add the wine now if you wanted. If you need to add a little bit more water or broth now is the time for that too. Heat until it boils softly then turn it off and put on cover until ready to serve. This stew is best with a fresh loaf of bread or biscuits.

I was a little more careful in my planning this week so I didn’t have too many of one type of meal. Towards the end of last week I did have a few comments about yet another stew or soup! Of course that didn’t stop anyone from eating it. They wouldn’t dare! Here is my menu for this week. You will notice that I only go to Thursday this week. We are heading out of state for a few days. I don’t know what is on the menu for Friday thru Sunday but I am hoping it will be good!

Monday: Steak, bean and cheese quesadillas

Tuesday: Fried chicken, baked potatoes, and salad

Wednesday: Grilled Tilapia, brown rice and broccoli

Thursday: Spaghetti and sauce with garlic bread sticks

Have a tasty week!