Some people (i.e., Paul, Craig, Margie) really enjoy cooking and delight in mastering complicated recipes.
Sadly, I’m not one of them.
However, I really enjoy eating, which necessitates engaging in a bit of cooking – since I live alone with no one to cook for me, and eating out all the time gets expensive.
I can cook – I just don’t enjoy it. So, with rare exception, I look for simple to make foods that please my palate. I do enjoy the “presentation” aspect of meal preparation – creating a beautiful place setting, food arrangement with garnishes, etc. But none of that matters with out the food, I’m afraid.
Now that dreary winter is upon us, I turn to soups and stews. I especially like them because one recipe can last me for several days. I can handle reheating soup. In fact, about this time 2 years ago, I shared my Taco Soup recipe with you. Did you try it?
This week I had a hankering for some hearty beef stew. And I just so happen to have a delicious recipe – even if it does rely and the simplicity and convenience of some canned ingredients. It is really, really good. Especially with a slice of fresh french bread.
Here is the recipe for your winter eating enjoyment.
Hearty Beef Stew
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Brown beef with onion. Add remaining ingredients, except potatoes and carrots, and simmer for several hours. Add carrots and potatoes and cook for another hour. Serve with fresh bread.
Sound good? Before I added the potatoes and carrots, I divided the stew and have frozen half of it. So in a couple of weeks when I get another hankering, I can pull it out of the freezer, add potatoes, carrots and cook for an hour – and have my dinner for another 4 days. Yum.
Do you have any good soup or stew recipes to share?
Yummmm. I love soups and stews and this looks like a great recipe. I have always made my stew in a slow cooker because I wanted to make sure the meat would be very tender. How many hours did you simmer it?
I was really craving beef stew a couple weeks ago.
Unfortunately, a lot of the ingredients in your recipe we can’t get here (i.e., cream of celery soup, cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, good beef, beef bullion cubes, onion soup mix) So I guess I would have to make a more complicated version.
When I was craving beef stew a couple weeks ago I decided to just make a lentil-veggie stew instead with Costa Rican Christmas chorizo. 🙂 It turned out pretty good!
I probably simmered it for 3 hours (before adding veggies), Michelle. I also ended up adding a little more water afterwards (but just a little).
And I should have listed you, Jen, among those people who enjoy cooking! You’re a great cook – I’m looking forward to enjoying your creations when I visit Costa Rica. Just about 3 weeks away!
I LOVE your beef stew!! I had forgotten about it until reading this post. Looks like I know what we’ll be making for dinner sometime next week 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe!
And I don’t love to cook. I love to bake. 🙂
Here comes yummy easy. French onion with an Italian twist. Heat half butter and half olive oil Just coating the bottom of a soup pan.
Add 3 white and 2 yellow onions (sliced). Add 8 chopped garlic cloves. Cook until onions become translucent.
Add 2 stems fresh rosemary, 1 bayleaf, salt and pepper. Also add 2 tbs balsamic vinager, 2 quarts low sodium beef stock, and 1/2 cup white wine.
Let simmer until onions are tender. Meanwhile, thickly slice some french bread and put shredded fresh basil and chopped tomatos on top and cover with a soft swiss cheese, or whatever white cheese you like. Broil until golden and drop into the individual bowls of soup. freeking good
I’m with you, Mom. I enjoy eating, but definitely not cooking, and I’ll take dishes over cooking any day. I feel very lucky to have Jen around. 🙂
Although they don’t have the creamed soups in Costa Rica, I bet they have tomatoes and mushrooms (and if not chayote works)…. And I know they have tapioca because I’ve purchased a bag of it from a Hispanic store. Brand is Amafil… I doubt they have liquid smoke (some don’t like that anyway), but they probably have cloves.
Therefore, maybe this recipe would work for you if you have a crockpot (and even if you don’t):
Ingredients:
2.5 lbs. stew beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
5 small to medium sized carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lg. onion, cut into chunks
3 stalks of celery, sliced
1 small can diced tomatoes (15oz can) including liquid
1 small can mushrooms (6.5oz can) drained (optional)
3 potatoes, quartered
1/2 c. quick cooking tapioca
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 bay leaves
2 tsp liquid smoke
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
First, sautee the onions until they are soft and browned. Then, trim all fat from the meat. Now put all ingredients in crockpot. Mix thoroughly. Cover and cook on low 12 hours or on high 5 to 6 hours.
Number Of Servings:6 to 8
Preparation Time:20 minutes
Allison, the Taco Soup recipe I must have missed, but it looks like something I’d like to try…
Thank you! I also look forward to having you here and making some delicious food for your visit. 🙂
Robert- Thank you for that recipe! I bet I could find all those ingredients here. Sounds really good. 🙂
Paul- That french onion soup sounds so delicious as well. I would love to try it out sometime. Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
YUM!!!!!!!!!!!! This one goes into my recipe book..NOW ! :o)