Classic Beef Stew

Classic Beef Stew

2  pounds  Beef Chuck, cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes,  -OR-  Beef Stew meat, cut to size

2  Tablespoons  Oil  (confession here:  I, ahem, use bacon grease)

4 Cups  Boiling Water

 

1  Tablespoon  Lemon Juice, optional

1  teaspoon  Worcestershire Sauce

2  cloves  Garlic

1  medium  Onion, sliced  -OR-  a few good dashes Dried Minced Onion

1-2  Bay Leaves

Salt, to taste

1/2  teaspoon  Black Pepper

1/2  teaspoon  Paprika

Dash  Cloves  (yes, that's right)

1/4  teaspoon  Crushed Rosemary

1/2  teaspoon  Dried Tarragon

Dash  Cayenne Pepper

 

6  Carrots, peeled and cut to same size as Beef, or can use Baby Carrots

4-6  Potatoes, peeled and cut to same size as Beef  (I used my canned baby red potatoes, 1 quart)

 

 1/2  Cup  Red Wine,  (Cabernet or Ruby Port)  -OR- Water  -OR-  Beef Broth

shaken together with 1/4  Cup  Flour

 

 1  Cup  Frozen Peas

 

In a 6-quart stock pot, thoroughly  brown the Beef on all sides in hot Oil, turning often.  Add the Lemon Juice, Worcestershire, Garlic, Onion, and Seasonings.  Cover and simmer (don't boil or the meat can become tough) for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking.  Remove Bay Leaves.

 

Add  Carrots and Potatoes.  Stir in the Red Wine and Flour mixture.  Cover and cook 30 minutes longer, or until vegetables are done.  Stir in Frozen Peas.

 

Serve in bowls with forks and spoons to 6 or 8 of your favorite hungry people to warm them up on a cold winter's night.

 

"For we are

laborers together

with God;

ye are

God's cultivated field,

ye are

God's building."

1 Corinthians 3:9

 

     

I was at the grocery this past Monday and a lady stopped me, wondering what to put into Beef Stew (celery? squash? carrots? potatoes?) as her husband had requested it for dinner that night.  It had been so long since I'd made stew that I had to stop and think, too.  We chatted a bit and I was inspired to make stew as well.  I should have checked the weather first, though.  It was 64 degrees here yesterday--warm, sunny, the front door was open and the children were out playing basketball barefoot.  Not hardly stew weather!  I've adapted this recipe slightly from the 1962 edition of the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook which my mother-in-law gave me.  Enjoy!