Saturday, January 8, 2011

Recipe: Slow-Cooked Beef Stew

So I woke up and saw the snow and my husband reminded me that we had some London Broil in the freezer.  I thought, hmmmmm..., beef stew would be so good today.  So I started looking through some of my cookbooks that I've been waiting to review and found The Best of Clean Eating.  The photos are absolutely beautiful.  I turned to page 126 and found Slow-Cooker Chestnut Stew.  I've adapted it a bit because I didn't have any chestnuts around the house and I decided to cook it in the oven rather than the slow-cooker.  It is cooking right now and the aromas filling the condo are wonderful.
2 pounds of London Broil or other beef, cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Olive oil
2 yellow onions, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
2 thick carrots, peeled and chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
Red wine
Beef broth
Bay leaf
Fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage from Shenandoah Growers
1 tablespoon Flour

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Heat a Le Creuset braiser or stock pot to medium-high heat and add olive oil.  Season the meat with salt, pepper and oregano and sear meat in the pot.  Once seared, remove from pot and set aside.  Deglaze with red wine.  Then add vegetables and garlic and saute until there is a little bit of coloration.  Add tomato paste in on the side.  Add flour.  Add Shenandoah Grower herbs and bay leaf.  Add meat back in and cover with beef stock.  Cover and put in the oven.  Check after 1 hour.  Continue to cook until the meat falls apart and separates.   Doesn't this sound so cozy to eat with the snow falling?  I'm a sucker for comfort food.

More about the book:
 The Best Of Clean Eating – Improving Your Life One Meal At A time. 
This book features over 200 of clean eating’s very best mouthwatering and wholesome recipes, like Windy City Pie Deep-Dish Pizza, Thai Coconut Shrimp with Brown Rice Pasta,  Apple Grilled cheese with Grainy Mustard, among many more crowd pleasing recipes. 
The Best of Clean Eating includes chapters that give you:

-Tips for slashing your grocery bill (without sacrificing nutrition)
-Tips on choosing the most flavorful and nutrient-rich ingredients
-Healthy spins on your seasonal favorites (just in time for the holidays)
-8 weeks of meal plans and grocery lists
-Budget-Priced Meals
-Herb Pairing Guide
-Five-Ingredient Meals
-How to Shop, Prepare, Cook and Store Fish
-Your Guide to Flours
-And also Recipes for One or Two People
-20 minute Meals
Discover just how delicious and satisfying healthy eating can be with this delicious new book:   The Best of Clean Eating – Improving Your Life One Meal At A time. Especially since we just entered 2011, this book gives you some new healthy ideas for cooking.  I can't wait to keep trying more recipes.

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