Beef stew... yes please!

So I make a kick ass beef stew.  Of course, as I grabbed the camera and set about making this recipe I realized I was missing a couple things... but whatever, you can use your imagination.  I'm still going to share what I made.

I am not a big fan of recipes.  I feel like I have expressed that before.  I will give you what I used and you can figure that out for your family.  I promise, general cooking is not like baking.  You cannot fuck it up.  You just need to know what all to put in then you can throw it in how you like it.

So on to the beef stew.  The general recipe is as follows:

Carrots (Diced)
Celery (Diced)         (These three are known as a mirepoix)
Onion (Diced)

Garlic (Minced)
Tomato Paste
Beef Stock
Worcestershire Sauce
Water
Stew Meat

Start by browning your stew meat.  Use any fat you want to and just quickly browning each side.  It doesn't have to be perfect, you are just sealing in the juices.  This is roughly two pounds of meat. I recommend finding a good farmer you can get your meat from.  Factory farming is no joke.  Sustainability is important, support your local farm.

While your meat is browning, dice your celery, carrots, and onion.  I used half an onion and 4 carrots.  I would have used about 4 stalks of celery as well, but I apparently didn't pick any up at the store this week.  Strike one against my beef stew, but I made it any way.  You can use any combination of these.  I am not an onion fan so I always use less.

 After your meat is browned, use the same fat and throw in your mirepoix.  Saute this for around 8-10 minutes, until slightly softened and sweet.

While you are sauteing the other veggies, mince some garlic.  Again, use whatever you need to achieve the flavor your family likes.  I love garlic, and since I've also been working to get over a cold I added quite a bit.  This is 4 medium sized cloves.  As you can tell by the green it was also a bit old.  Still tasted great.  After your veggies are slightly softened, toss your garlic into the pot.  Cook it a couple minutes, till fragrant.  Don't let it burn.  Burnt garlic is bitter garlic.  Bitter is not good eats.

After you've made your garlic fragrant, you'll add the tomato paste.  Now, I am going to let you in on a secret I learned from Mario Batali.  I watch the Chew like it's going out of style and one of the best tips I learned was putting the tomato paste into the oil before adding any other liquid.  This gives the tomato paste a rustic flavor.  You want to let it cook out for a couple minutes.  It makes a difference.  I used 6oz of tomato paste, which is a lot but I love it.  Again, use what works for you.  But I wouldn't go below 3 or 4 oz.

After the tomato paste it is smooth sailing.  Basically throw all the other ingredients into the pot, including the meat and any juices that have drained on the plate.  As for how much of everything... just use enough.  Seriously, that is all.  Remember, this isn't baking!

Now this picture shows the most important step in a good stew, in my humble opinion.  Put a damn lid on it and walk away.  Turn it down to a simmer and seriously walk away.  Don't touch.  How long?  Till it's done.  I usually start stew in the mid morning (around 10am) and simmer it all day.  Then I let it cool, put it in the fridge, then the next evening around 2 or 3pm I will get it out and let it simmer until we eat supper, around 6 or 6:30. 

And voila, beef stew.  As you can see, I don't have a picture of our servings because I forgot, and we ate it all.  Because it's cold here and beef stew is delicious in the cold.  I typically serve this with mashed potatoes.  I put a couple scoops of potatoes in the bowl, then top it with beef stew and the results are amazing.  Try it, you won't regret it! 

Until Next Time.