The Fall weather is here! Today's temperature was in the mid 40's, highs in 60's, it was freezing to me. It must be all the time growing up in California, then a short stint in Seattle- now that got me tough.. but then the move to the Caribbeans really got me to be a HUGE WUSS! It amazes me how we all can adjust to the cold or the heat. I personally prefer to be cold, then to be insanely hot. When you are cold, you can add more layers, as well as slurp down on some hearty warm stews and soups. Speaking of hearty stews, I made a great beef stew last week, which lasted seriously the whole week. It was a recipe from my friend Kit F. which I slightly tweaked. It's a great stew for the Fall, it is hearty,healthy, and so comforting!
Beef Stew
1 lb of London broil, cubed ( or 2 packages of beef stew pre-cubed)
4 carrots sliced and chopped into 1 inch
2 large potatoes 1 inch cubes
4 stalks of celery chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 onion
4 cloves of garlic
2 basil leaves (or 1 tsp basil that are chopped)
1 tsp oregano
Steak Seasoning (the kind that has garlic powder/onion/salt/pepper)
1/2 cup red wine (any)
1 small can tomato paste
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can beef broth
In a large stew pot, saute onions, and celery until onions becomes translucent. Add garlic cubed beefs, cook til brown, should take 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup red wine, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add Beef broth, w/ additional 10 cans of water, approximately 10 cups of water, bring to a broil. Add carrots and potatoes, and can of tomato paste. Season with Salt/ and or Steak Seasoning for taste, and bring to a broil. Turn down the heat to simmer with lid partially open, for 40 minutes. Once vegetables are tender, mix 3 tablespoon of cornstarch with water, add to stew pot and stir, this will thicken the stew broth.
This stew goes great with crusty french bread.
Enjoy!
