Happy start of February everybody! It's pretty warm and comfortable here in southern Texas, but we still have cold days every now and again. Or, we're just so attuned to Texas weather that now we cannot tell what is cold or not cold so we just pretend we have cold days to justify eating yummy stew.
When we made this cookbook I was a bit overwhelmed and had Ryan make a few of the dishes while I was away for work. In case I haven't said it, I'm a trial attorney had get to travel all over the state to prosecute my Texas. It takes me a way from the house, in a normal year, about a week a month! Obviously this has been far from a normal year, but I still had a few cases here and there.
Anyways, Ryan made the stew. And Ryan loves stew. To be fair, I probably say that about most of the things we make because Ryan just loves food. But he does have a soft spot for stew.
This stew is easy to make, relatively fast (for a stew), and will keep you warm!
Without further ado here we go!
Pro-tip when making this stew is to use the biggest pot you own. I know I say that a lot about cooking. Apparently my Grandmother, despite having just a four person family, cooked like she was feeding an army. Lots of leftovers though, so that's fun!
First step, as always, is to prep! Chop your veggies! After veggies are prepped then brown the meat in hot fat. So this is one of those old school throw backs, we don't really keep fat hanging around our house for cooking, but we do keep butter. So I recommend, if you too, do not keep fat lying around your house, to use butter. It's still wonderful, promise. And probably equally unhealthy.
Once the meat is browned, add the water, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, sliced onion, bay leaves and seasoning. If you like a bit of heat, you can optionally add a bit of Tabasco sauce. You can also add in the carrots, onions and potatoes now to get them super tender, or just wait to add them later if you'd prefer them to be firmer.
Then, that's just about it. All you really have left to do is to let it sit and simmer for two hours. Stir it occasionally to make sure it's not burning, but it's probably not necessary. After the two hours is up, add in the carrots, onions and potatoes if you haven't already done so and cook that until the veggies are done, about another 15 or so minutes, then it's ready to be served!
We don't really eat our stew with rice, but it could totally be served with rice.
Eat this on a cold day when you want to feel warm. It's a relatively healthy dish (especially for this cookbook!).
BROWN BEEF STEW SERVES: 5 | PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES | COOK TIME: 2 AND 1/2 HOURS
2 lbs. stew meat 2 Tbsp. fat 4 cups boiling water 1 clove garlic 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (optional) 1 medium onion sliced ½ tsp. paprika
1 or 2 bay leaves 1 tsp. sugar 1 Tbsp. salt Dash allspice or cloves ½ tsp. pepper Carrots Onions Potatoes
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Thoroughly brown meat in hot fat.
2. Add water, lemon juice, Worcestershire, garlic sliced onion, bay leaves and seasoning. Optional: a couple of dashes of Tabasco.
3. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Add carrots, onions and potatoes. Cook until vegetables are done.
4. Serve and enjoy!
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