trying to get home for xmas. New traffic extension for Google Chrome: https://t.co/MXy7N9dU
| 23 February 2010
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Celebrations don’t always have to be grandiose affairs. One of the nicest holiday dinners I ever had consisted of a simple beef stew with salad and a loaf of homemade bread. The food was delicious, but what made the evening special was the great conversation and laughter shared among good friends.
To me “simple” means either a long, slow and savoury braise or a fast and furious sauté. With the former, dinner goes into the oven and you settle back with a glass of wine. With the latter, your guests come right into the kitchen to help with the preparation. Either way, the focus is on fun and good food, not cooking and cleanup.
winter beef stew with noodles
Serves 4
When browning beef stew meat, be sure not to crowd the pan or the meat won’t sear properly. Cook in batches, removing the meat as it browns. This stew starts off on top of the stove but does most of its cooking in the oven, leaving you time to enjoy your company. Be sure to remove the bay leaf before serving, as it is not an easily digested herb.
1 tbsp canola oil
2 lb beef stew meat, trimmed
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cup baby carrots
1/2 lb small cremini mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed but left whole
2 cups thick egg noodles
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat. Add beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove meat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Return meat to the pan. Sprinkle soy sauce over meat.
3. Mix together the flour, paprika and salt. Sprinkle over meat. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add beef stock and bay leaf. Bring to boil. Remove from heat.
4. Bake in oven, covered, for 1 hour. Add carrots and mushrooms. Cover and bake 1 1/2 hours longer, adding more stock if needed.
5. Add noodles and cook until noodles are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Serve stew in shallow bowls with crusty ciabatta for sopping up the gravy.
A voluptuous Australian Cabernet Sauvignon is a nice pairing with the stew.