This past week has been a busy one! I turned 40... I wasn’t too thrilled about it, however, my family and friends made it the best birthday I’ve ever had 😊. I also got together with one of my besties and made a HUGE batch of doubles, yum! Now, let’s get down to business, the recipe I tested was Old-Fashioned Beef Stew with Mushrooms. And I must say, this is an excellent supper for a cold chilly day. The savoury broth is what sets this stew apart, trust the process. I wouldn’t really change anything, but I would add a few things.
The first thing is garlic, I was quite shocked when I realized that there was no garlic in the recipe. I would toss a clove or 2 into the pot with the roughly chopped onions, celery and carrots in step 2. The next is dumplins, in our house if you’re making soup or stew it has got to have some type of dumplings. I would make a simple dumplin, with just flour, salt, oil and water. I am spelling it dumplins because that’s what they are lol, they are not your traditional dumpling. These are the wonderfully tender long hand-rolled ones my dad would make for all his soups. That’s it for things I would add, however you can add whatever you prefer, let me know what you would add! Lastly, I would use Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, in the pot and sprinkled over bowls. Serve with fresh crusty buns.
Stay tuned as the next recipe is in the slow cooker right now and is smelling amazing! I am having a hard time finding chocolate graham crackers for the cake I want to make, so if any of you know where to get them, please let me know. Be sure to subscribe to see how all this deliciousness turns out!
Old-Fashioned Beef Stew with Mushrooms
6-8 Servings
6 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil, plus more as needed
3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 carrots (1 roughly chopped, 3 cut into ½ inch rounds)
4 stalks celery (1 roughly chopped, 3 cut into ½ inch pieces)
1 onion roughly chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup hearty red wine, such as shiraz
2 quarts beef stock or reduced-sodium beef broth
2 sprigs thyme
1 ¼ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound mixed mushrooms(such as cremini, chanterelle, oyster, and/or stemmed shiitake), sliced or quartered if large
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup flour
Chopped fresh parsley, for topping.
1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in dutch over medium-high heat. Season the beef with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add to the pot in batches and cook, turning and adding more oil as needed, until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
2. Add 2 more tablespoons to the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Add the roughly chopped carrot, celery and onion and cook, occasionally stirring and scraping up the brown bits from the pot, until the vegetables soften about 5 minutes. Move the vegetables to 1 side and add the tomato paste to the empty side. Cook until it darkens around the edge around 2 minutes; stir into the vegetables. Add the wine and bring to a boil.
3. Return the beef and any juices to the pot; add the stock. Bring to boil, skimming any foam off the top. Add the thyme. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until beef is tender about 2 hours.
4. Strain the beef and vegetables in a colander set over a large bowl, reserving the cooking liquid. Tent the beef mixture with foil. Let the cooking liquid stand for 5 minutes and then skim off the fat on the surface. Return the liquid to the pot. Add the remaining carrots, celery and potatoes and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are just tender about 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally until they release their juices and browned, 10 minutes. (pour off any extra liquid if necessary). Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.
6. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour to make a roux, then let bubble (do not let brown), 2 minutes. Whisk in 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid. Stir this sauce into the pot with the vegetables; bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, 5 minutes.
7. Return the beef to the pot, discarding the roughly chopped carrot, celery, onion and thyme. Add the mushrooms and simmer until heated through, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with parsley.
Recipe Credit: Food Network Magazine November 2013
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