TCC Column #5 - Beef Stew
The weather today was so perfect. There was a thunderstorm that lasted for hours. I'm talking about big-ass raindrops. This weather made me long for comfort food, and when I think comfort food, I think about stews. There is a beef stew that I have made on many occasions that would be perfect for this weather. Best of all, it is idiot proof and cheap to make.BEEF STEW
Ingredients:
- 3 Large Carrots
- 2 Sticks of Celery
- 2 Big Tomatoes
- 1/2 Bag of Fresh Mushrooms
- Beef ( Any cut that is best for stews, thankfully, those cuts are cheap as chips. Using prime cuts is just a waste of money. I use as much as my pot can hold. )
- 2 Brown Onions
- 1 Bulb of Garlic (Wash the whole bulb, cut it in 2 length-wise and throw the whole thing in, skin and all)
- 6 Bay Leaves
- 3 Potatoes
Method:
Cut all the ingredients in CHUNKS because if you cut it into small bite-sized pieces, everything will melt into the soup and there won't be anything left to bite after a few hours of stewing. Throw EVERYTHING into a big pot. I personally prefer a slow cooker because I can just lay back and eat stew after a few hours but any big ass pot will do and I have heard from a friend that using a pressure cooker would half your cooking time, however, I have not tried that method personally so I will not endorse it here. SLOW FIRE. You can add more of anything you want (i.e. if you like more potatoes, don't think twice, just chuck a few more in, as much as your pot can hold). Because the stew is best cooked under slow fire, my experience tells me you'll need at least 5 hours to really draw out all the flavors of the ingredients. At the end, the meat ought to be so tender it'll melt in your mouth. Add salt and black pepper for taste. Before you serve, mix some flour and water, and drizzle it into the stew to give it a thicker texture.
Remarks:
This is seriously a cut, chuck, wait and eat recipe, so if you botch this up, maybe you ought to master the art of boiling water first.
Cut all the ingredients in CHUNKS because if you cut it into small bite-sized pieces, everything will melt into the soup and there won't be anything left to bite after a few hours of stewing. Throw EVERYTHING into a big pot. I personally prefer a slow cooker because I can just lay back and eat stew after a few hours but any big ass pot will do and I have heard from a friend that using a pressure cooker would half your cooking time, however, I have not tried that method personally so I will not endorse it here. SLOW FIRE. You can add more of anything you want (i.e. if you like more potatoes, don't think twice, just chuck a few more in, as much as your pot can hold). Because the stew is best cooked under slow fire, my experience tells me you'll need at least 5 hours to really draw out all the flavors of the ingredients. At the end, the meat ought to be so tender it'll melt in your mouth. Add salt and black pepper for taste. Before you serve, mix some flour and water, and drizzle it into the stew to give it a thicker texture.
Remarks:
This is seriously a cut, chuck, wait and eat recipe, so if you botch this up, maybe you ought to master the art of boiling water first.
P.S.:
It just occurred to me that someone out there might ask if WATER was needed in this recipe. *Head Spinning Uncontrollably* For those people out there - "Yes, water is needed, seeing how this is a recipe for stew?! Duh!" Place all the ingredients in a big pot and fill it with water till it covers all of it.
It just occurred to me that someone out there might ask if WATER was needed in this recipe. *Head Spinning Uncontrollably* For those people out there - "Yes, water is needed, seeing how this is a recipe for stew?! Duh!" Place all the ingredients in a big pot and fill it with water till it covers all of it.
posted by fredizzle at 6:05 PM
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