Maria Samms wrote:Maybe someone can post a good beef stew recipe...I have tried the ones from the Crockery cook books and have not been impressed. The stews come out so much better on the stovetop or in the oven.
Maria, here are three beef stew recipes for the slow pot:
BELGIAN BEEF STEW: (Carbonnades `A La Flamande)For slow (crock/crockery) pot; serve with mashed potatoes and carrots.
3-4 lb Rump, round, or boneless chuck roast
1/2 tbl Olive oil
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
2 tbl Butter
2 Sliced Bermuda onion (approx 4 cups)
2 Cloves garlic minced (or 1 tsp bottled)
1 Bottle dark beer or ale
2 tbl Brown sugar
1/2 tbl Salt
1/2 tsp Granulated garlic (garlic powder)
2 Springs parsley
1 Large bay leaf
1/2 tsp Dried thyme
1 1/2 tbl Cornstarch
2 tbl White wine vinegar
Cut beef into 1-1/2 to 2 inch pieces. Brown meat in olive oil in large skillet. Remove to bowl and season with 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper. Cook onion in same skillet with butter until medium brown. Stir in minced garlic for last minute. Put onion/garlic into slow-cooker with meat and its juices on top. Bring beer to boil in skillet with sugar, scraping up pan juices. Add to cooker with remaining salt, garlic powder, parsley, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Drain stew in colander, reserving liquid. Pick parsley stems and bay leaf out if possible. Reduce liquid in sauce pan until it measures two cups. Dissolve cornstarch in vinegar, and add to liquid. Simmer till sauce thickens (3-4 min). Return colander contents and sauce to cooker, and keep warm till serving time. Serve on warm platter sprinkled with minced or dry parsley.
BOEUF ‘A LA MODE:4 lbs Top or bottom round roast
Salt and pepper
¼ C Brandy (warmed)
1 C Dry red wine
1 C Beef stock or bouillon
8 oz Frozen pearl onions (half bag)
6-8 Carrots peeled and sliced
2 T Butter
1 ½ T Cornstarch
2 T Water
Crock Pot
Slice fat off of beef with boning knife. Render it in a large cast iron skillet, and discard. Rub salt and pepper into meat and brown it on all sides in skillet. Move meat to crock pot. Warm and light brandy and pour over meat. Add wine and stock. Cook on low for eight or nine hours. Thaw out onions on a paper towel, and add peeled and sliced carrots to them. At the three or three and half hour point melt butter in skillet and deglaze it. Brown the veggies in it, and add to meat. Turn heat up to high for half an hour to regain lost heat and return heat to low. When all is done, remove and separate meat and veggies. Put meat back in pot and keep veggies warm; after putting liquids in saucepan, and reducing it to two cups. Add cornstarch dissolved in water off heat, and bring back to boil. Add to meat until ready to eat. Remove meat and slice, and remove sauce to gravy boat. Serve with veggies, and roasted or mashed potatoes.
BISTECCA ALLA PIZZAIOLA:The Beef:
1 Medium onion chopped
2 tbl Olive oil
1 1/2 lb (or slightly larger) Eye of round roast
28 oz can Crushed (ground) tomatoes
1 tsp Crushed garlic
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1/4 tsp Crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp Granulated garlic (powder)
1 tbl Dry oregano
Slow pot
The Polenta:
2 C Water
1 C Polenta (cornmeal)
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tbl Butter
1/2 C Grated imported Provolone or other grating cheese
Loaf pan
Slice roast crosswise into one inch thick steaks. In a skillet, sauté onion in oil for three minutes. Add steaks and brown for two minutes on each side. Mix remaining sauce ingredients in a bowl. Add onions, steaks, and tomato sauce to slow pot. Cook on low for eight hours.
In a saucepan, boil water and add polenta, stirring rapidly. Cook until it looks like grandma’s porridge. Stir in salt, butter, and cheese. Pour into greased loaf pan, and bake at 350º for 20 minutes. Cool and cut into 1/2 inch slices.
Serve the beef and polenta, both covered with sauce, with salad.
