jmcquown wrote:
>
> It's starting to get a little chilly, although at this time of year in W. TN
> the temps bounce up and down. It's still in the low 70's most days. But it
> won't be long before I'm craving a nice beef stew.
>
> My (Scottish) grandmother, whose recipe I don't have, used chuck roast (as
> do I) but she never added any vegetable other than potatoes. I've no idea
> what seasonings (for all I know it was just salt & pepper). It had a very
> rich, thick, almost gravy-like consistency. My (German) grandmother's stew
> was really more like a vegetable beef soup, not at all thick, very brothy.
> She used something akin to round steak but thicker (cubed) and added the
> usual suspects: potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, etc.
>
> I'm wondering what your favourite recipe for this wintry concoction might
> be!


Like most dishes, I cook stew more by style and ingredients on
hand than by recipe. It can be eaten the same day, but for best
results it is best to let it cool and refrigerate over night and
then have it the next night. This is the technique I leaned from
my wife who learned it from her mother. I cook my stew in a large
heavy bottomed pot.


Ingredients

Stewing beef cut into 1" chunks
onion
celery
carrots
mushrooms
garlic
salt
pepper
potatoes
peas
savory
Worcestershire Sauce
beef broth
red wine
Veloutine (or other thickener)
tomato paste
(olive) oil
optional... peas, corn, beans

Season the meat with s few good dashed of Worcestershire Sauce, a
sprinkle of savory and some pepper, preferably freshly ground.

Heat up the pot and add some oil.

Brown the stewing beef being careful not to put too much in at a
time and cooling the pot down much. While that is browning dice a
good sized onion, a carrot and a few mushrooms. When the meat is
browned, remove it and set it aside, add a little more oil to the
pot and toss in the diced onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms and
sweat them. When they start to soften add a chopped clove or two
of garlic.

Add a good glug of red wine to the pot to deglaze, then add a few
cups of beef broth, enough to cover the meat (which is not yet
back in the pot). Add about i Tablespoon of tomato paste. Bring
it to a boil and add one or two tablespoons of Veloutine and
continue to boil and stir until it starts to thicken a bit....
not too much. Reduce the heat to simmer the liquid and return the
meat and all juices to the pot.

The stew needs to simmer for a while. You can do that on top of
the stove if you can keep the heat low enough to simmer without
boiling

DO NOT BOIL once the meat has gone back in. I prefer to do it
covered in a 300 degree oven, for about 2 hours.


If you are planning on eating it that night you can add chopped
potatoes and carrots. If planning to eat it the next night, you
can add the veggies when rehearing the next day. Frozen peas or
corn can be added about 15 minutes before serving.

Season to taste before serving. There is salt in the broth and
what tastes good in the early stages may be too salty after it
has reduced.

Total cooking time is 3-5 hours. Actual work involved is less
than 15 minutes.


Words of Caution

DO NOT BOIL
A stew boiled is a stew spoiled. It won't hurt the veggies but it
makes the meat.

Amounts of ingredients can vary according to what you have on
hand. Potatoes are benign as far as taste goes but too many
make it a potato stew rather than a beef stew. Carrots are
another matter. You can easily over do the carrots. Nothing will
spoil the taste of a stew faster than adding too much tomato
paste.


Serve with fresh biscuits, rolls, toast, baguette, ....