Beef Stew, An Ode To My Mother

Still to this day Beef Stew is my absolute favorite dish my mom makes.  Nothing will ever compare to hers because of the nostalgic value of it but I would like to share my version.

Ingredients:
3lbs  Beef, I use whatever big roast is on sale at the store.  Chuck is usually the most economical and perfectly suitable.

1/2 Stick Butter

3 Small  Yellow Onions

1lb Carrots (I will let you cheat and use "baby peeled carrots", but only because this is what my mom uses)

4 Stalks Celery

1 tsp Minced Garlic
Note: hate chopping garlic?  Buy 8 heads of garlic.  Break apart into individual cloves, place on big cutting board.  Take another big cutting board and smash garlic between them.  The garlic skin will fall right off.  Put into mini food processor or ninja (a favorite tool of mine) with 3 Tb olive oil.  Pulse until chopped.  Transfer into small Tupperware and freeze.  When you need garlic simply scoop what you need out and put the rest back in the freezer.  Will last for 3+months)

6 Medium Idaho Potatoes

8oz  Crimini Mushrooms (I prefer Criminis because they have a lower water content than white button mushrooms, this means that they will be meatier, more flavorful and shrink less.  BTW did you know that they are baby portobellos!)

1 28oz Can Whole Peeled Tomatoes

8 Cups Beef Stock (Homemade stock or stock from the can or carton only.  Do not use powdered bouillon for this recipe)

1 Cup Frozen Peas (1 of 2 frozen veggies I recommend buying)

1 Cup Frozen Corn (2 of 2 frozen veggies I recommend buying)


Lets get started...

On a large cutting board start trimming your beef into 1" cubes.  Place on sheet pan and drizzle a few tablespoons of oil.  Season with a few pinches of salt (don't forget to buy the kosher salt to you can actually "pinch" it, see my blog about chicken fingers for more info) and some black pepper.  Gently toss to coat meat.  Turn your broiler on high and put meat on the shelf closest to the broiler.  This is a easy way to sear your meat.  In the restaurant world we have much larger pans, more powerful burners and hoods that suck smoke out of the kitchen.  Most home kitchens do not have such luxuries.  This is a method that I frequently use at home to prevent the inevitable soup of grey meat and juice in the bottom of my pan and smoking out my entire house.  When you "Broiler Sear" you get nice color on your meat and no smoke!   Note: NEVER LEAVE YOUR OVEN WHEN YOU ARE USING YOUR BROILER!  IT GOES FROM 0-60 VERY QUICKLY.  When your meat is nicely browned turn off broiler and set aside.

Next gently melt butter in your heavy pot.  Add large dice onions (approx 1" pieces), minced garlic, large dice carrots, mushrooms that have been sliced or cut into quarters and large dice celery.  Add a pinch of salt (this makes the veggies release their juices and start to get tender.  It is also important to season every step of the way, this creates layers of flavor).  Sweat the veggies until they are nice and fragrant, approx 5min.  Careful not to use too high of heat; you will burn the garlic.  Sweating is a gentle, slow process.  Add your can of whole tomatoes (that you mushed into smaller pieces with your hands).  Let cook unit tomato juice is almost fully reduced (this process is to make the tomatoes sweet instead of acidic).  Add meat and stock.  Add only enough stock to cover meat and veggies by 2".   Bring to a simmer and taste it.  It should taste like a well seasoned soup.  If not add a few pinches of salt and a little pepper.  

At this point you can transfer into a crock pot on a low setting and continue the braising process.  But as I have said before I do not know anything about crock pots because I do not own one, so use your better judgement on finding the correct setting.  Feel free to leave stew in the pot, this is how I and every other chef cooks it.

Slowly simmer the stew until meat starts to become tender, approx 1 1/2 hours.  Add your peeled potatoes that have been cut into 1 1/2" chunks.  Continue to cook stew until potatoes are tender.  If at any point the stewing liquid gets below the meat and veggies add more stock or water.  Why stock OR water... if the stew has plenty of flavor, add water (which is all that is evaporating out as it cooks anyway) and if the stew needs more flavor add stock (you are making a more concentrated beef flavor).

Now that all your veggies, potatoes and meat are fork tender you need to check the consistency.  If your want a thicker gravy like stew add a few Tb of cornstarch that has been mixed with water.  Be sure to stir quickly while adding it to prevent lumps.  Once you think you have the perfect seasoning and consistency go ahead and add your frozen corn and peas.  No need to continue cooking as the peas and corn are steamed before they are frozen. 

Notes:
Mise en place (french kitchen term for "putting everything in it's place")  Set yourself up for success.  Cut all your veggies and meat the night before when the little ones are in bed.  Much easier to do this knife work when no one is pulling at you. 

You can even go so far as to get all the way to the part where you can transfer everything to the crock pot.  Before you go to work simply start the crock pot.  When you get home put the finishing touches on it and Voila...Dinner is Served!