Gasp!
Sunday, October 17, 2010 at 08:53PM We were disconnected for a bit. It seems that our website used our stolen credit card number, which - of course - was canceled last weekend. And thus, when it was payment time, the website was unable to process our payment and so it was lights out . . . until I discovered the oops!
Not much to report after a sunny, busy weekend. Except I could no longer wait for really chilly weather to make our favorite, favorite beef stew (compliments of Catherine Newman's blog). After heating the house up with the oven on this glorious 74-degree day, we actually had to turn our air conditioning on. But it was well worth it . . .
Catherine Newman's description of the recipe is wordy (though lovely), so here it is in short form (still, perhaps, wordy). Ingredients: 4lbs of Stewing Beef (seriously, only 2 is required); 2 teaspoons of kosher salt (half as much for non-kosher); ground pepper; 3 tablespoons of flour; one onion halved and sliced; 1 cup red wine (I opt for the four pack of little wine bottles. That way, I can keep the other three bottles for other recipes without wasting an entire bottle of wine. I'm not exactly drinking wine these days . . . ); 1 cup beef broth; 2 cups tomato sauce; 6 carrots and/or parsnips peeled and sliced to your beef-stew liking; 4 celery stalks sliced to your beef-stew liking; 1 sprig of thyme (I use 2); 1 bay leaf; and one sheet of parchment paper (to prevent the stew from drying out in the oven).
Cooking: Heat your oven to 325. Mix/coat beef with flour, salt, and pepper (think freezer bag here). Brown it on the stove (add 3 or so Tbsp of olive oil to your large pot); throw in the onions. Before the beef is completely browned, add the wine (it helps de-glaze the bottom of the pan) and scrape the good stuff off the bottom of the pot and mix it in. Then, ADD EVERYTHING ELSE. Bring to a simmer. Cover the top of the stew with a large piece of parchment paper (yes, it should touch the stew to ensure it remains stew-y). Seal your pot with a lid (which should secure the paper). Pop in the oven for 2 - 3 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles. YUM.
Reader Comments (1)
that looks delicious! YUM! :)