Rebecca Weger

I’m sort of in trouble.  And its not that this sort of thing hasn’t happened before. A friend messaged me this morning asking for a recipe for a dish she had previously enjoyed at my home. I thought I’d used a recipe from a cookbook, but now that I’m looking at it I’m sure I didn’t.  I am certain I can recreate something similar, but I’m doomed if she actually wants measurements.  Except… I apparently wrote a version down a little over a year ago for some friends. But that was using a totally different method of preparation and a bigger pot.

So, for Cassie, here’s an attempt at a recipe for my really, really good beef stew.  Now, in a crockpot. My crockpot is 5.5Q.  Adjust down on some bulky ingredients like potatoes and carrots if your crockpot is smaller.

Beef Stew
Yes, its a crockpot recipe, but it is greatly enhanced by starting off at the stove. You can skip all the stove-based steps if you like, just add those ingredients directly to the crockpot.

Dredge 1 lb stew beef with salt, pepper, thyme, sage, celery salt and flour.
Brown meat in heavy pan with olive oil

Sweat/caramelize 2 mediumish diced onions and 4 cloves of diced garlic  in the pan over low heat while prepping all following ingredients.  Deglaze with red wine as needed.

Prepare:

• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 3 potatoes, cubed (add an extra if they are particularly small).  I rarely peel them.
• 2-3 large carrots, sliced or half moons.  I rarely peel them.

Turn crockpot on low.

• Place celery, potatoes and carrots in crockpot
• Add 1/4 – 1/2 cup tomato sauce OR some tomato paste
• Add onions and garlic from stove.
• Add browned beef.
• Add cooking liquid.  Perhaps 2 cans of beef broth and some red wine.  My goal is to cover all the other ingredients, and have the crockpot at 75-85% full.
• Pepper, sage, thyme to taste.  Add a bay leaf or two if you like.

Put the lid on and set the crockpot for 8-12 hours on low.  I find that you can usually cut the low times in half to cook on high.
Near the end of cooking, add 1/2 bag frozen peas and cook until they are defrosted and warm.

Add more spices if needed.  Crockpot cooking can really rob them of their flavor and you will need more than you usually use.
Thicken with slurry from 3T tapioca flour (or potato starch flour, or regular flour)

*Choose your broth/stock/bouillion/wine with a bit of thought.  It will really impact your final flavors.