Savory Crock Pot Stew

Stew is a favorite meal in our home. Over the years I have tried many recipes, one of which was posted on 1/7/2009, but getting a flavorful crock pot version has been a bit of a challenge. In this recipe, I combined the best of a few different crock pot and oven versions that we liked and made something a bit more to our liking. One of the most important steps to making a flavorful beef recipe in the crock pot is to brown the meat first. This step really enhances the final flavor of the dish and is worth the extra bit of time invested into the evening meal. Blessings...

Recipe:

3/4 pound cubed tri-tip steak, dried on paper towels to remove excess moisture
olive oil for browning
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1-1/2 cups peeled and sliced carrots
1 celery rib, sliced
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14.5 oz.) beef broth
3 tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
1 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1-1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1 cup frozen peas

1. In a skillet brown the steak in oil. Remove the steak to the crock pot and fry the onion in the oil for a few minutes until softened. Scrape the onion and any brown bits into the crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients except the frozen peas. Stir well; cover and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours or on high setting for 5-6 hours.
2. Add peas during last hour of cooking.
3. Stir and check potatoes and carrots for tenderness before serving.

Yield: 4-5 servings
Note: Tri-tip steak is a wonderfully marbled and tender cut of beef for making stew and other casserole-type dishes. Stew meat tends to be very tough even after the slow cooking of the crock pot.

Italian Sausage Stew

This is a very easy stew recipe to prepare, and the results are well worth the effort. I found that it took about 1 hour to prepare start to finish. The stew is very flavorful with the Italian sausage and the variety of veggies. If you don't have the veggies on hand that I have listed, use what you have. I love recipes like this that can be adapted as needed. Keeps life so simple, blessings...

Recipe: 

1 tbsp. olive oil
10 - 16 oz. sweet Italian chicken sausage, sliced
1 cup onion, chopped
1-1/2 cups chopped carrot
2 tsps. minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 cans (14 oz. each) chicken broth
2 cups chopped red-skinned potatoes, 1" pieces
1/2 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 bay leaf
2 tsps. dried oregano, crushed
1-1/3 cups frozen green beans, thawed and drained

1. In a large saucepan, saute' sausage in olive oil until lightly browned. Add onion and garlic and continue cooking just until veggies are lightly browned, stirring often. 
2. Add broth, carrots, potatoes, lentils, bay leaf and oregano. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, or until lentils are soft.
3. Stir in green beans and cook another 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Yield: 7 cups if using 10 oz. sausage
173 calories per cup
5 grams fiber per cup

Tip: I had 10 oz. of leftover sausage in my freezer to use, which worked great for our needs. Use whatever amount that works best for your needs.

Incredibly Tender Beef Stew

This stew recipe is so good, and a little unusual in that it has brewed coffee in it. The coffee acts as a meat tenderizer, with excellent results. We love it, especially on these very cold days of winter. I cut the recipe in half for my husband and I and we can get two meals out of it. This is another wonderful dish from Marcia Adams book, "New Recipes from Quilt Country". Blessings...

Recipe:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons minced fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried

3 pounds lean chuck roast, trimmed of fat, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 cups canned beef broth

1 cup strong brewed coffee

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons ketchup

6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 medium onions, quartered (I use only one)

6 medium carrots, peeled and quartered

1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen

Minced fresh thyme, if desired

1. Place the flour, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, and the thyme in a paper bag and shake to blend. Add the beef, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef to the stockpot and brown each piece on all sides; don't overcrowd the pan or the meat won't brown properly. Work in batches if necessary.

2. When the meat is browned, add the stock, coffee, Worcestershire, paprika, sugar, ketchup, and remaining salt and pepper; stir to combine. Add the potatoes, onions, and carrots. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Add the peas and continue cooking for 15 to 30 minutes or longer until the meat is very tender. (If a thicker stew is desired, thicken the mixture with 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water.) Garnish with fresh thyme, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings