From: Esther Vail Reply-To: esther@rochgte.fidonet.org Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes Followup-To: poster Subject: Beef Stew Date: Tue, 18 Jul 1995 09:04:38 Message-ID: <806090424.AA01075@rochgte.fidonet.org> BEEF STEW for four people 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. (500 to 750 g) beef stew meat (well-trimmed chuck seems to me to be the most flavorful), cubed into bite-size pieces 4 tablespoons (60 mL) all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon (15 mL) cooking oil 1 medium onion, sliced up to 2 cups (450 mL) beef broth (I use water and powdered beef bouillon) 1/2 teaspoon (2 1/2 mL) freshly-ground pepper 1 teaspoon (5 mL) thyme 1 bay leaf 1/2 cup (114 g) thinly-sliced peeled carrots 1/2 cup (114 g) cubed potatoes (optional) 1/2 cup tiny peeled onions, or 1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges 1/4 cup (60 g) yellow turnip (rutabaga, swede) diced (optional, but try it at least once; the flavor is superb) 1/2 cup green peas (cooked separately, drained, and added at the end so they're still bright green) biscuit mix dumplings, made according to recipe on package (optional) Toss meat with flour in a plastic bag. Keep extra flour. Heat oil in stewpot, and brown meat, a few pieces at a time. Push meat to side and add sliced onion; brown. Stir that reserved flour into the broth carefully, then add broth and seasonings, bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook about one hour. Add vegetables other than peas, and continue simmering until vegetables are done, about thirty minutes. (Make that about 15 minutes if you're going to do the dumplings, since the vegetables will continue cooking while the dumplings steam on top of the stew.) Esther H. Vail, Rochester NY (esther@rochgte.fidonet.org)