Mom and beef stew.

Today is my mom's birthday, she's been gone since 1999, I still miss her. This post is dedicated to her.

Food was important in our family, my mom enjoyed cooking and baking. She was my first inspiration. In fact, she inspired all three of us kids to be the main cooks for our families.

I have some of the diaries she wrote as a teenager, she mentions in detail the cakes she baked.

I can remember being in the kitchen with my brother, he was seventeen and I was eight. He loved to make lemon meringue pie without the meringue and huge chocolate chip cookies.
He is still a very accomplished baker and home cook, so is my sister. My mom must have made the kitchen an inviting place.
Not that any of this has anything to do with beef stew...just some background.

This was my first attempt at making beef stew, on impulse, after seeing a recipe in Sunset magazine. I didn't use their recipe but cobbled together my own from a Food Network version, what I had available and the advice of my sous chef. Bob says beef stew is very adaptable, he claims to be an expert :-)

This is not a meal you can whip up after work, it takes some planning and longer cooking times. It would be perfect to make on a day off, with lots of leftovers for the week to come.

We don't eat a lot of meat but when we do I want it to be raised as close to home as possible. Lately I have been getting my meat at the farmer's market from Left Coast.
Beef must be organic and grass fed, if you want to know why read Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollen.

This beef stew is warm and comforting just like my mom was.

 Laurie's Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 lbs chuck roast, cut into chunks
4 cup broth: beef or vegetable
2 cup wine, red or white
bacon grease/butter/olive oil for browning the meat and the onions
2 onions, peeled and cut into sixths
5 cloves smashed garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 bay leaves
6-8 whole tomatoes, peeled
4 cups peeled and cubed, red or yellow potatoes
6-8 medium carrots, cut in inch chunks
1/3 whole wheat pastry flour
2-4 teaspoons salt
pepper to taste

1) If your meat doesn't come in chunks, have your sous chef cut it for you. While the original recipe called for two inch chunks, my sous chef had his own ideas. I have to admit I like the smaller less regular size chunks just fine.

2) Peel and slice the onion into sixths.

3) Peel and smash the garlic.

4) Preheat the oven to 325 F for later.

5) In a large Dutch oven on the stove top, heat bacon fat, olive oil or butter (your choice) to brown the meat. Do it in batches and set aside.

6) Add more grease/oil/butter to brown the onions. Add the garlic and cook another minute or so.

7) Add the tomato paste, stir and cook for another minute.

8) Now add the meat with any juices, and mix well in the pot.

9) Sprinkle the meat and veggie mixture with the flour, a little at a time, stirring as you go. (This was the weird part for me, even though I understand why, you are basically making a roux.)

10) Add the broth, wine, herbs, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and put the pot, covered into the oven. Cook for 1 1/2 hours.

11) Peel and chop the potatoes, and slice the carrots.

12) Remove the pot from the oven, add the carrots, potatoes and tomatoes.

13) Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 to 2 hours more on the stove top, with the pot mostly uncovered. The timing will depend on how mushy you like your veggies, and the size of your pot. I checked every half hour for doneness. It took the whole two hours for my stew to be ready. It was well worth it.

I served it with my millet muffins and a green salad. Luckily we have leftovers,  Bob pronounced it the best he has ever had, coming from a Midwest man, that's a compliment.

So here's to you, Mom, thanks for the inspiration !!