| Keep stirring until all the bits are in solution. The flour you tossed the meat in will act as rouge and thicken the stew as it cooks. Now stir in about 2T. of beef base and 2 T. of chicken base. If using bouillion only put one cube of each into the water. Stir to dissolve. Now add about 5 cups each of peeled carrots and ukon gold potatoes cut in ¾ in dice. Stir and add enough water to cover the ingredients by about two inches. Stir completely and raise the temperature to a boil then stir and cut the flame back to a simmer(remember a simmer means that you should see medium sized bubbles erupting sporadically over the surface with some kind of frequency.) Simmer for 2 ½ hour it may take 3 hours. Keep an eye on the pot and stir occasional so nothing stick to the bottom. After about the 1st hour taste the stew for salt and pepper. If it needs more add it to your taste. The potatoes will need more salt as they cook but again it will be to your taste. |
In a large heavy bottomed pot like an 8
quart Dutch oven with a lid(I like the cast
iron enamel coated ones) placed over
medium high heat-Add ¼ cup for bacon fat
and 2 tablespoon of butter and let it melt
together. Add the beef a little at a time and
brown on all sides. Some may stick to the
bottom of the pot-that’s alright-just keep
moving it around and not let it burn to the
bottom. If you find the heat is to high of
course turn it down and if you need more
turn it up. The same goes for the fat-If you
need more add a little butter but be careful
as the flour will absorb it and you don’t
want to much fat. When the meat is
browned sprinkle and additional 3 T. of the
flour mixture over the meat and stirs it in,
add about 4 cups of tap water and scrape
the browned bits from the bottom of the pot
as this is a lot of great flavor.
(continued below)
quart Dutch oven with a lid(I like the cast
iron enamel coated ones) placed over
medium high heat-Add ¼ cup for bacon fat
and 2 tablespoon of butter and let it melt
together. Add the beef a little at a time and
brown on all sides. Some may stick to the
bottom of the pot-that’s alright-just keep
moving it around and not let it burn to the
bottom. If you find the heat is to high of
course turn it down and if you need more
turn it up. The same goes for the fat-If you
need more add a little butter but be careful
as the flour will absorb it and you don’t
want to much fat. When the meat is
browned sprinkle and additional 3 T. of the
flour mixture over the meat and stirs it in,
add about 4 cups of tap water and scrape
the browned bits from the bottom of the pot
as this is a lot of great flavor.
(continued below)
| When the stew has thickened as much as you like your stew then put the top on and continue to cook until the meat is very soft. You must remember to stir occasionally and if you need more water add it as needed or not. When the stew is done to your satisfaction shut it off and leave the cover on. |
15 South Orange Avenue
South Orange, NJ 07079
(973) 762-7077
www.gaslightbrewery.com
South Orange, NJ 07079
(973) 762-7077
www.gaslightbrewery.com
Even if you have a busy schedule there is one
piece of equipment I think is necessary in
today homes and that is a crock pot. (and an
automatic timer to turn it off and on when
your not home) There are many brands out
there just select the one that is big enough
for your family. I would advise one that is
bigger than the amount for one meal
because thinking ahead you do have to go
to work the next day and that dinner would
make a great lunch tomorrow.(instead of
that Big Mac)
piece of equipment I think is necessary in
today homes and that is a crock pot. (and an
automatic timer to turn it off and on when
your not home) There are many brands out
there just select the one that is big enough
for your family. I would advise one that is
bigger than the amount for one meal
because thinking ahead you do have to go
to work the next day and that dinner would
make a great lunch tomorrow.(instead of
that Big Mac)
| Mom’s Beef Stew 8 servings 2 cups All Purpose Flour 2 t. salt 1 ½ t.black pepper 2 T paprika 1 t. garlic powder Place all these in a bowl and stir them together or sift them together into a bowl. 4 to 5 lb. of beef chuck cut into 1 inch cubes (don’t us stew beef, it’s to fatty) Bacon fat you saved from cooking bacon in the morning for breakfast (or if you have no bacon fat you could use olive oil but the flavor will be compromised.) Now toss the meat in the flour mixture and shake it off so only a thin coat remains on the meat. (continued top of next column) |
| Enjoy the fall and remember you can do it just read the recipe twice and go slow. And now for a few last words. As I begin my day I'd like to say Goooood Moorning AMERICA land of the FREE and Home of the Brave!!!!! Can you believe that with all your heart! What about eminent domain-Government Involvement in the way you run YOUR business and your hiring practices-Your right to publicly pledge your allegiance to our FLAG-WHAT ABOUT THE LAW—Commit a crime and pay the price( what price! People today get away with MURDER behind the vail of political correctness.) Back in the Day, My Day, if you were bad in school the teacher dished out the punishment and then you got it again at home, the police didn’t have there hands tied either. People feared the consequences for unsocial acts committed on the population but now it’s a joke. Look at the people themselves, Morality is at an all time low, the young people have no knowledge of how to act in polite society and could never be introduced to the President or the Queen(What!Queenie Who!)The rules on etiquette and how to act in public are all changed now, it’s an I- I- ME- ME world today and anything goes. Someone said (I don’t remember who) WAIT AND THAT WILL COME BACK TO BITE YOU IN THE ASS. |
| So until the next time we meet and discuss the finer things in life and love- be well. Live Long, Love Often, Be Happy and Eat Well Cynthia |
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| Egg Noodles 2 lbs. You can use wide noodles or bow tie noodles. Cook as the package advises. When finished toss with some butter and serve the stew over the top. If you like a lot of pasta of course you can make more or less it depends on your personal preference. This meal served with Hot Rolls and a side salad is memories on a cold and clammy day or any day for that matter. Made with love from the heart for your family.Now for the vegetarian in mind you could change this recipe this way: (continued below) Replace the meat with seitan Replace the Bacon fat with olive oil but still use the butter Replace the beef and chicken base with vegetable base I would also split the 5 lbs. of beef with 3 lbs. of seitan, 1 lb. each of turnip and celery root cut in ½ inch cubes. The rest of the instructions would be the same but the time cooking would change to be only long enough to soften the vegetables and thicken the stew. You don’t want the vegetables to become too soft. |
| Cynthia Soboti Executive Chef Gaslight Brewery and Restaurant |
It’s raining out now-for days as a matter of
fact-and the things I most remember are the
wonderful cold, rainy days of my childhood
and the great comfort I knew in the warm
kitchen of my mother’s house as I awoke
from an afternoon nap to the aroma of fresh
bread baking in the oven and a pot of stew
cooking on the stove for dinner that night.
Mom always gave us a sample – Hot bread
with butter and homemade beach plum jelly.
It’s such a shame that our world today with
all it’s advancement has robbed the children
of memories of Mom-Fathers and the true
comforts of home(being replace by Latch
keys, cell phones and beepers to know where
your kids are and of course microwave oven
so they can heat up their dinner when they
get home- to an empty house or at best the
house keeper from who knows where
teaching our children who knows what. I
lament over all the things these children will
never know- comforts of home, love,
discipline, respect and appreciation for others-
but of course they will know how to work a
computer (even if the can’t add the numbers
up themselves-god forbid the battery goes
dead) Enough of this- Let’s talk about some
really good comfort food you can make at
home.
fact-and the things I most remember are the
wonderful cold, rainy days of my childhood
and the great comfort I knew in the warm
kitchen of my mother’s house as I awoke
from an afternoon nap to the aroma of fresh
bread baking in the oven and a pot of stew
cooking on the stove for dinner that night.
Mom always gave us a sample – Hot bread
with butter and homemade beach plum jelly.
It’s such a shame that our world today with
all it’s advancement has robbed the children
of memories of Mom-Fathers and the true
comforts of home(being replace by Latch
keys, cell phones and beepers to know where
your kids are and of course microwave oven
so they can heat up their dinner when they
get home- to an empty house or at best the
house keeper from who knows where
teaching our children who knows what. I
lament over all the things these children will
never know- comforts of home, love,
discipline, respect and appreciation for others-
but of course they will know how to work a
computer (even if the can’t add the numbers
up themselves-god forbid the battery goes
dead) Enough of this- Let’s talk about some
really good comfort food you can make at
home.
| If you should decide to use a crock pot then you would add all the ingredients to the pot at once and only add enough water to just be able to see the water below the ingredients. You are not going to be able to brown the meat unless you do that before you put it into the crock pot. That is possible to do in a pan and then put the meat into the crock pot with the rest of the ingredients and proceed by putting the top on the crock pot and turning the dial to low. In this case you should read the instructions that come with the pot to familiarize your self with that particular piece of equipment. Using a crock pot means slow and long cooking and you must decide when you are going to come home so you can program the timer to shut itself off and go into holding mode. A yes a computer thing but a good one. Read and be informed. |
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