Stewed to the gills

Not exactly stewed yet. Actually just working on one glass of wine. Celebrating, as well I might. For the first time in what may actually be over thirteen years, my beef stew is simmering to yummy perfection upstairs. Blame it on my lovely redheaded friend in Los Angeles. I said a few posts ago that my husband got a raise & I was going to get beef for stew, but until Fern goaded, pleaded, and bribed, I didn't get to it. Well, you know, Christmas show, extra hours @ Target, World's Worst Cold That Ate 2010, stuff like that. Now it's the New Year, and we are kicking it off by taking requests.

In radio it was for songs. In later life, it's for the recipe.

Now there's a reason I haven't made this in 13 years. It IS totally awesome, so I probably should have done... but it was about the only thing my mother ever taught me to do well, and it was the last thing my mother ever ate on this earth. I made her a batch at her request, and she couldn't quite finish a bowl she was so weak. Takes a wee bit of time to get past that I can tell you. That's the main reason. It's also an all-day project; specific in its ingredients rather then general (like the other 99% of my soups); and because of the beef stew meat, more expensive than my other soups. I bought chuck on sale and cut it up myself, which saved money, but still. I usually have cheap meats, zero meats, or bone meats, and let legumes & grains be the star of the soup-pot. Beef stew is necessarily about The Beef.

Here you go:

Diana's Beef Stew

Dredge about 1 1/2 lbs. or so of stew beef in the following flour mixture:

1 C whole wheat flour
1 C unbleached flour
1 t Italian herbs mix (mine has marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, savory)
1 t granulated garlic (or powdered if you like, but NOT garlic SALT!!)
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t sea salt (scant)

Warm enough olive oil to cover deeply the bottom of your favorite big heavy pot. I use my mother's old cast iron dutch oven (this is one sentimental recipe darlin'!). Brown your dredged meat chunks in the oil, turning & scraping (so the cooked bits don't adhere to the pot). When all the bits have been dredged in flour, added to pot, and begun to brown, (flour is cooking into a thick paste) stir in about another 1/2 C of your flour mixture and add :

1 C dry red wine, bit by bit, as you cook the mixture into a sort of thick gravy with beef in it

then

4 C stock bit by bit, as you cook the whole into a thin gravy with beef in it.

Simmer slowly about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add:

1-lb. bag baby carrots
3 bay leaves (broken up) + 1/4 t mixed peppercorns, tied into cheesecloth packet
1/4 C Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce (never use the cheap kind!)
1 T soy sauce

Simmer low / slow for about 1 hour, or until carrots begin to get tender; raise heat to medium and add:

6 small red potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 C frozen pearl onions
2 C frozen peas

Pot will be full! Stir slowly, with care! Lower heat & cover. Simmer low, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking, approximately 90 minutes or until carrots & potatoes are soft and the flavors have blended nicely.

Wait till you taste it the next day (if you can keep from finishing it off the first night). It can be adapted for the crockpot, and it can be varied, with niceties such as sherry, whole garlic, parsnips, etc. -- but do NOT use tomatoes or it's some other dish! Also, if you're cooking in cast iron, the ascorbic acid in tomatoes will break your heart and wreck your cook pot. For my money the magic is in the stock. Since I almost always have home-made stock in the freezer, for this batch I used some wicked killer turkey stock I made after Thanksgiving. You can use what you have on hand or anything fabulous from the store.

I so hope you love this. I have never told anyone how I make it and now I'm telling the Whole Danged Interwebs! Thank you, Fern, for the multiple kick in the tuchus. ;) XO