So far this winter, the weather forecasters in the DC metro region have been...over-forecasting. We've had at least two snowstorms predicted that barely amounted to anything. And now we're actually getting winter storms named, which is kind of fun. We've already had "Gandolph" and today, we had the arrival of "Khan!" KHAAAAANNN!
Khan gave us maybe an inch of snow, nothing major. But with the whole day off today I thought I'd make a grocery run before the madness hit, as I had a beef stew craving. So I named this...
Beef Stew à la Khan
- Season 1 package of cubed beef stew meat with salt & pepper, & toss in flour to coat.
- Sear beef in a dutch oven in bacon fat (or oil) until browned; remove to a bowl.
- Add 1 package button mushrooms, halved, to pan (add more oil if necessary). Cook over med-high heat til brown; remove to a separate bowl.
- Chop 1-2 onions roughly & add to pan (with more oil if necessary). Cook until softened & browned. Add 2 chopped garlic cloves & stir briefly.
- Deglaze pan with 1/2 bottle beer (I used Shock Top IPA); scrape up browned bits with spoon.
- Add 2 Tbl. tomato paste & cook about a minute.
- Add beef back to pan. Pour in about 1/2 box beef stock/broth. I had a few leftover roasted garlic cloves so I mashed them & added them to pan. Also added 2 bay leaves & some smoked paprika.
- Cover and simmer on low heat about 1 hr.
- Meanwhile, peel 3 carrots, cut in half and then into 1-inch pieces.
- I also remembered I had an acorn squash leftover from one of our last CSA weeks, like...3 months ago!! Still seemed fine, so I peeled & chopped that.
- Add carrots, squash & reserved mushrooms to pot & more beef broth to cover. Simmer for 1 more hour.
- If you want to thicken the stew, stir some beef broth into a tsp or two of flour & add this to the pot.
- Taste & add seasonings. I added splashes of red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce & hot sauce.
Serve over mashed potatoes (I made mine with cream cheese & scallions) and enjoy...preferably while watching Star Trek II!
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