Beef Stew for a Wintry Night

    So here we find ourselves in February, a time when Winter can't decide to sleep in or give us a right good sucker punch. Here in Tennessee the weather is mild- up into the 60s, with everyone running around in
 t-shirts. This week Old Man Winter is obviously taking a break just when I was gearing up for a cold front. I wanted beef stew for dinner. There's nothing better on a cold wintry night than curling up with a tummy full of stew, a hot cup of tea, and a good movie.
     Beef stew is one of those dishes that plays well with others, meaning that it can be made ahead and reheated. It can be made in a crock pot, for those with limited time. It can be canned and put into your food storage. It is the ultimate comfort food, not just eating it, but making it can also be a comfort. Stew is forgiving of those who are new to cooking. You can add almost anything and it still taste respectable. Stew can feed one or a family, and usually without great expense, especially if you are of the gardening persuasion. It is versatile, and allows for creativity and variety. It can be served over rice, pasta noodles, or some other grain base. And last, but not least, you can opt to include dumplings if you want to dress it up just a little.
       Old Man Winter will be back, and he will be hungry when he gets here! I'll make extra! Stews on!
 
Now on to the recipe!

First, let me tell you about the recipe. It comes from a vintage cook booklet, Favorite Recipes for Country Kitchens,  from General Mills, published in 1945. I love these sweet little booklets for all the genuinely "made from scratch", home cooked dishes. I also love the art work on the cover! Why can't things be this way again?  So pretty and so nostalgic! When I dream, this is what I see.

There are no precise measurements. This stew recipe assumes that everything is from the farm. This gives us the advantage of adding what we like in whatever quantity we like or have on hand. Believe me, its all good!

First, select the meat you will be using. This recipe gives vegetable variations for different meats. I will list those as we travel on through this recipe. Begin by trimming the meat of fat, and cutting the meat into bite sized cubes or pieces. I chose a three and a half pound beef roast for my stew.

Trim the fat from the meat.

My cubed beef roast.

Next, dredge the meat in a seasoned flour. I used 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of meat and used the pepper liberally, as we really like black pepper.

In a large stew pot, add enough oil for frying; brown the meat, turning to brown both sides. Once the meat has browned, add enough water to cover.

I used an iron skillet to brown the meat.
I had to do several batches to get it all done.

Nicely browned.

Season with herbs from the garden. The recipe suggests using bay leaf, marjoram, savory, or thyme. Also, Paprika, curry, chili powder, sage, nutmeg, catsup and Worcestershire sauce.

I used bay leaf, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, paprika,  and red pepper.

Add enough water to cover the whole mass. I used about 15 cups of water. Cover the kettle tightly and let the meat simmer until tender. Do Not Boil. (veal, pork, and lamb need to simmer 2 hours; beef 3 hours).

Starting to simmer. Don't forget the lid.

Third step: Veggie Time
You should have your vegetables ready for the pot before you need them. Chop them now, add them about 30 minutes before the stew finishes its simmer time. Here are some suggestions. Use whatever you have on hand.
Lamb:
Onions, green beans, parsnips, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, celery, or tomatoes.
Pork:
Green beans, onions, potatoes,sweet potatoes, turnips, cabbage or Lima beans.
Veal:
Onions, carrots, peas, potatoes, Lima beans, cauliflower, or parsnips.
Beef:
Onions, carrots, turnips, celery, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, or cabbage.

I used these. I also added celery and canned tomatoes,
but they didn't make it into the picture.

Add veggies 20 - 30 minutes before the stew is done. Don't over cook the vegetables; allow just enough time for them to become tender. If you are using frozen vegetables, add them within the last 5 - 10 minutes of cooking. If you feel that the stew needs to thicken, make a paste of flour and water and stir this into the stew, cook for a few extra minutes to dissolve the paste.
Now you are ready to eat. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste and there you have it, Beef Stew on a cold Winter's Night!
Your Welcome :)

I Resolve Not To Resolve

   

     I never make New Year's resolutions- never. I despise the idea that we must wait for a set time to resolve and commit to a new something or other. Totally meaningless in my book. I resolve and commit all the time. I don't need a special day for it. For instance, I resolved to save money by making my own cleaning products rather than buy them. I did this in June, and I haven't looked back. I resolve to put in an irrigation system before the next drought hits. I resolve to get the chicken run fixed before the next raccoon dinner party arrives. Enough ranting.
     In December, my son Sean told me that he missed the fuss over holidays that we once had. And he is right. Before I took a public job I spent a great amount of effort on preparing the house and our meals for the next upcoming holiday celebration. The truth is that I just didn't have a great deal of time or the energy to bring forth the "holiday experience" that my children had grown accustomed to while they were growing up. Now that they are all grown or nearly so, and I no longer work outside the home. I feel that the time is ripe for returning to our traditional roots.
     I prepared a traditional Southern New Year's Day meal, which consisted of fried ham, black eye peas, greens, and corn bread. As we sat around the table, we discussed the lore surrounding the meal and why we eat these particular foods on the first day of the new year. According to our family's tradition the fried ham represents wealth and abundance, for history tells us that ham wasn't always easy to come by and usually only the wealthier families could afford a nice smoked ham. We eat the greens because they represent green back dollars, the black eye peas represent coins, and the corn bread represents gold. All in all, the wish for the new year was that a family would have all that they desired and not have to worry about money issues.
     While sitting together, all of us around that small table, we chatted about the olden days, about our grandparents, about what we wanted to see in the coming year, but no one resolved to do anything other than what we had to do in the course of living. There was no talk of treadmills or gym memberships; no one planning to solve the world's problems or look for a new job. Our chatter was about the future of the homestead. We were quite content to talk about the upcoming garden that we will plant in the springtime, the gift certificate that we gave my mom for chicks, and the new ewe we would soon be buying for Christopher's father. We sat full and comfortable, sharing and laughing together around a finely set table of simple foods. (A new beginning of our family's traditions.)
     As for the tradition of making New Year's resolutions, we have an unspoken understanding that the world can be a disappointing place on its own without the extra baggage of lofty goals that are oftentimes unfulfilled. Who needs to add insult to injury. It is far more enjoyable knowing that somethings must be done, and then doing them. We don't need any pretense or ceremony surrounding homestead goals. We know that we must finish our house before we can move into it. We are moving steadily in that direction and doing this as we can afford to. Where is the joy in falling short if we can't meet a goal of doing it this year? I feel that we will finish that project when time and money allows. It may be this year or it may be the next. I don't want to suck the fun out of the process by trying to meet an unrealistic plan set forth by a resolution at the beginning of the year. It will happen when it happens. We will not rush the process, nor break the bank trying to meet an unrealistic goal. We will not sink up to our chest in debt to make it happen. We will take each day as it comes and deal with whatever that day should bring. We resolve daily to enjoy our home, our family, and our future plans for the homestead. As for New Year's resolutions, we resolve to have none of it.

Traveling at the speed of life.

:) Peace