Old Fashioned Beef Stew

This is what I served John for dinner last night. It takes a little more preparation than my usual recipes but the taste is well worth the effort in my humble opinion.

Old Fashioned Beef Stew

1 pound beef stew meat
24 ounces of mini potatoes washed
1 medium sweet onion coarsely chopped
6 large sweet carrots peeled and coarsely sliced
1 whole celery washed and coarsely sliced
1 pound frozen mixed vegetables
salt and pepper to taste

Three and one half hours before dinner get your 4 1/4 quart Le Creuset pot or a similar sized pot. Make sure it will hold the steam in. I did not add any extra liquid to this recipe so it is important to not lose steam or liquid during cooking. If you pot lets out to much steam you may have to add water to keep this from burning.

On a medium heat add the stew meat with the salt and pepper to brown. Once the meat is no longer bright red add the onions and cook covered until the onions are soft. Then layer in the potatoes, carrots and celery. Cover and continue to heat on a medium heat for 30 minutes. Carefully take the lid off the pot to keep as much of the moisture in the pan as possible. Stir the pot and put the cover back on. Lower the temperature to medium low and cook for 1 more hour. Carefully take off the lid to preserve the moisture in the pan. Add the frozen vegetables and cover for 30 minutes. Stir and cover for the last half hour.

Serve with fresh bread or biscuits. Serves 4.

You may substitute fresh lamb, or chicken in the stew but the flavorings may have to be adjusted.

Beef Stew

You might have guessed we are having beef stew for dinner so I will share the recipe.

Beef Stew

1 pound stew meat
salt and pepper to taste
1 large sweet onion peeled and roughly chopped
3 ears of corn broken in half
1 pound of carrots peeled and sliced
2 medium potatoes washed and cubed
2 medium tomatoes washed and cut in eights
1 cup of water
6 large stalks of celery roughly chopped
1 pound green beans washed de-vined and sliced into 1 inch pieces

In your soup pot spray the bottom of your pan with non stick cooking spray. Add the stew meat salt and pepper and brown the meat on a medium heat. Add the onion and stir in and cook for a few minutes. Then layer in the corn, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, celery and green beans. pour water over the mixture. Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 2 hours.

This recipe can also be made in the crock pot by following the same layering plan as above. Cook on low heat 8 to 10 hours. If you put this in the crock pot in the morning before work it should be ready for dinner.

This will serve 4 to six people. You may substitute chicken that has been cubed for the beef. I have no Vegetarian or vegan suggestions other than to leave out the meat and have stewed vegetables.