Growing up, I doubt a spoon of stew ever touched my lips. It just wasn’t comfort food in Mamma’s Kitchen. My first bowl of stew was in my late 20′s, seated at the dinner table with my future-inlaws one snowy winter’s eve. It was yummy but certainly not something I’d want to serve often in my own kitchen. but what inspired me to master the recipe was the fact that my honeyman loves stew.
I’ll admit, I’m still not a big fan of stew but my Accidental Stew got a great review the other night at the dinner table so it’s worth sharing.
Deborah’s Accidental Stew
This recipe calls for quite a bit of time in the slow cooker. Reducing the amount of liquid will shorten the time needed.
a splash of extra virgin olive oil
500 grams stewing beef, chopped to bite-sized pieces
1 litre chicken stock
a pinch of sea salt (optional)
1 whole shallot, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 whole dried red chilies
three ribs celery, chopped
three whole carrots, peeled and chopped
four to five medium potatoes, cubed
3/4 cup dried red kidney beans
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon paprika
pepper, to taste
handful chopped parsley, to taste
In a skillet, heat the olive oil over a high flame. Add the stewing beef and cook until browned. Drain fat and toss into slow cooker with chicken stock, shallots, onions, garlic, red chilies, celery, carrots, potatoes and kidney beans. Let cook on high or low temperature until desired consistency is reached and vegetables are tender. Note: if you’re short on time, you can add cornstarch to thicken the broth but the starch in the potatoes will do the trick if given enough time.
When desired consitency is reached, remove red chilies and discard. Stir in tomato paste, paprika, parsley, and pepper. Let cook on low heat until ready to serve (at least 30 minutes).
Serve with garlic bread and a side salad.
Gluten Free Variation: Be sure to use gluten free chicken stock and skip the garlic bread or substitute glluten free bread. And be sure to use gluten free salad dressing or make your own.
Deborah, or iDeborah as she’s affectionately known on Twitter, loves to experiment in the kitchen. Some of her best dishes were created by accident! She started this blog to encourage others to get creative in the kitchen… and to record some of her accidental creations so she can enjoy them again! To learn more about
Sat, Feb 7, 2009
Starters