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Cooking @ Home: Hearty beef stew
An easy and delicious comfort meal
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I don’t know about you, but I am tired of waking up to temperatures that would make penguins happy. I haven’t been able to feel the tip of my nose for weeks now and I cannot wait for it to get warmer outside.
Until then, I’m making do with warm, hearty dishes that at least make me feel toasty for a while. Not only is this one easy and delicious, but if you work from home, you’ll be able to smell it cooking all day, and if you don’t, you’ll come home to a delicious meal ready to eat. That’s what I call a win-win scenario!
The thing I love about this recipe is that you don’t have to think about how you’re going to thicken it. There’s quite the lively debate online about how and when to thicken a beef stew. Do you use a roux? Do you add a cornstarch slurry? Or do you rely on the thickening power of the vegetables already in the dish?
I reject all these options and substitute my own: instant, quick-cooking tapioca. These tiny little flavor-neutral granules will soak up all the liquid as it’s released from the vegetables and meat, then dissolve completely into a smooth, glossy sauce that will evenly coat everything you put in the dish. Just make sure you don’t accidentally get the kind that’s brown sugar or chocolate flavored, okay? I take no responsibility if that happens.
Recipe
Beef Stew
Prep Time 30 minutes/Cook Time 8 hours
Serves: 6
Ingredients
2 pounds beef stew, meat cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 medium onions, cut in eighths
3 stalks celery, cut in 1-inch diagonal pieces
4 medium carrots, cut in 1-inch slices
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes 1/4 inch thick
1 (11-ounce) can tomato juice
1/2 cup quick cooking tapioca
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Directions
In a 6-quart slow cooker, combine beef, onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes and mix well to distribute.
In a large bowl or measuring cup, combine tomato juice, tapioca, sugar, salt, pepper and basil. Stir to combine, then pour over top of meat and vegetables.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
NOTE: To do so, just leave the potatoes out at the start of the cooking. Roast covered at 300 degrees for 2.5 hours. Then, add the potatoes, stir, and cook for one more hour.
Source: Alex Gallegos
Not only does this secret ingredient render your stew ready to eat with no futzing around with the thickness – either at the start or the finish – but it’s also gluten-free if that’s something that matters to you. A lot of beef stews are thickened with a flour roux and can’t make that claim.
One last thing. You can easily convert this from a slow cooker recipe to an oven recipe to be done in about half the time. It’s not quite fast enough for a quick weeknight meal, but it works great for a hearty weekend dinner for the whole family!
If you want to do it in the oven, mix it up just like the recipe says except for the potatoes – they don’t need as much time as the other items. Add them in after 2.5 hours, then let the whole thing cook for another hour. It’ll be great!
Alex Gallegos is an enthusiastic home cook who enjoys trying new recipes and learning new techniques. Find this recipe and others like it at PlatefulsOfFlavors.com
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