Day 111: Being sick sucks. It sucks worse on the weekend.
Like you, I assume, I cook when I'm sick. I cook comfort food, and drink orange juice. It occurred to me that I should share my beef stew recipe with you, because it's delicious and easy.
And CHEAP.
And it only takes three hours! (1 hour prep, 2 hours cooking; but the prep is super-easy, and the cooking requires a grand total of three minutes of direct attention, not counting the browning of the beef, which is probably a total of ten minutes)
3 lbs. stew beef
3 tbsp corn oil (I used a little rendered bacon fat as well, because I happened to have it on hand, and because bacon)
2 large yellow onions, cut in large chunks
3 cloves garlic, cut rough
1/4 cup flour
1 cup red wine (I use a cheap merlot; there's a lot of argument about "using a wine you'd actually drink" but I'm not going to drink red wine anyway, so cheap merlot it is!)
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 cups beef stock
2 russet potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch chunks
4 carrots, cut in 1/2 inch chunks
2 stalks of celery, cut in 1/2 inch chunks
Put the oil (and bacon fat) into a large, heavy stew pot. Heat on medium high until it smokes.
Mix the beef with salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Drop the beef, a handful at a time, into the hot, smoking oil, and brown on all sides.
Remove the beef to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
Add the onions to the hot oil, and reduce the heat to medium. Heat for five minutes.
Add the garlic to the onions, and cook for one minute.
Add the flour, and stir thoroughly for two minutes.
Add the wine, and stir thoroughly for one minute, then scrape the bottom to deglaze the pot of the good brown bits left behind by the beef. MMMMMMmmmmm... beef bits...
Simmer for five minutes.
Add the rosemary and thyme and beef and beef stock.
Raise to a rolling boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for one hour.
Add potatoes, carrots, and celery.
Raise to a rolling boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for one hour.
And then eat it in your FACE.
Comfort food is the greatest thing ever. Also, if you're really having a bad day, go get a strawberry milkshake.
Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!! :)
Like you, I assume, I cook when I'm sick. I cook comfort food, and drink orange juice. It occurred to me that I should share my beef stew recipe with you, because it's delicious and easy.
And CHEAP.
And it only takes three hours! (1 hour prep, 2 hours cooking; but the prep is super-easy, and the cooking requires a grand total of three minutes of direct attention, not counting the browning of the beef, which is probably a total of ten minutes)
3 lbs. stew beef
3 tbsp corn oil (I used a little rendered bacon fat as well, because I happened to have it on hand, and because bacon)
2 large yellow onions, cut in large chunks
3 cloves garlic, cut rough
1/4 cup flour
1 cup red wine (I use a cheap merlot; there's a lot of argument about "using a wine you'd actually drink" but I'm not going to drink red wine anyway, so cheap merlot it is!)
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 cups beef stock
2 russet potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch chunks
4 carrots, cut in 1/2 inch chunks
2 stalks of celery, cut in 1/2 inch chunks
Put the oil (and bacon fat) into a large, heavy stew pot. Heat on medium high until it smokes.
Mix the beef with salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Drop the beef, a handful at a time, into the hot, smoking oil, and brown on all sides.
Remove the beef to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
Add the onions to the hot oil, and reduce the heat to medium. Heat for five minutes.
Add the garlic to the onions, and cook for one minute.
Add the flour, and stir thoroughly for two minutes.
Add the wine, and stir thoroughly for one minute, then scrape the bottom to deglaze the pot of the good brown bits left behind by the beef. MMMMMMmmmmm... beef bits...
Simmer for five minutes.
Add the rosemary and thyme and beef and beef stock.
Raise to a rolling boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for one hour.
Add potatoes, carrots, and celery.
Raise to a rolling boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for one hour.
And then eat it in your FACE.
Comfort food is the greatest thing ever. Also, if you're really having a bad day, go get a strawberry milkshake.
Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!! :)