Thursday, September 1, 2011

Beef Stew

As the weather begins to cool, I start looking forward to those "comfort" foods we all enjoy. One of my favorites is beef stew that has slowed cooked in the crock pot. After an hour or so, the house begins to smell wonderful and I can't wait until the stew is finished and we can sit at the table with a bowl of hot stew and warm bread out of the oven.

Not being one who doesn't share, I thought that you might like to try this for yourself:

Beef Stew:
  • 3 carrots, sliced
  • 3 ribs celery, sliced
  • 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 1/2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
  • 3/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
  • 3/4 tsp dried basil leaves
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 lbs lean beef stew meat, cut into 1" pieces
  • 1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 can (14 1/2 oz) reduced-sodium beef broth
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cold water
Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the following order: carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, garlic, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, basil, pepper, beef, tomatoes with juice and broth. Cover and cook on LOW 8 to 9 hours.

Remove beef and vegetables to large serving bowl; cover and keep warm. Remove and discard bay leaf. Turn slow cooker to HIGH; cover. Mix flour and water in small bowl until smooth. Add 1/2 cup cooking liquid; mix well. Stir flour mixture into slow cooker. Cover and cook 15 minutes or until thickened. Pour sauce over beef and vegetables. Serve with your favorite crusty bread.

Enjoy!

3 comments:

Jessica said...

I love stew, can't wait for the cooler weather to make some with homemade bread. mmmmm!

My great grandma made the best stew. I wish I had payed more attention to her cooking when I was younger and gleaned some of her wonderfulness.

Blessings, Jessica

TheCrankyCrow said...

Love the cooler weather foods - beef stew among them. I like making dumplings on top...Yummo! Too sticky to think of those things today tho...but by Sunday, we'll be lucky to be in the 60's....Hmmmm...got me thinking! :o) Happy September! Smiles & Hugs ~ Robin

Angie Berry ~ Berry Homespun Primitives said...

Okay girl... that stew and bread are making my mouth water!! My favorite part about cooler weather is baking and cooking comfort foods... yum!