Melts in your mouth for sure!

My boys put up with enough vegetarian fare that I thought a big pot of hearty beef stew would be a great carnivore fix. This recipe, taken from Jamie Oliver’s Cook with Jamie cookbook, makes your mouth water just reading the title. Jamie teaches you how to cook like your mothers and grandmothers, but with a modern flare.

Last night I served this up as an experiment to “Bring It” because in all honesty, I have never made beef stew. But, I thought, this would be a great dish to bring to someone’s house in the winter when we are all looking for hearty winter meals and comfort food. After a bite or two, I ask my family what they think. My husband, said, “this is the best [fill in expletive here] stew I have ever eaten”. He then asks if I will make this and dehydrate it for an upcoming trip he has to the Brooks Range in Alaska. And so this recipe may become a new twist on “Bring It” food because it will be made here in Lyme NH and brought, dehydrated in a plastic bag, to the Artic Circle where it will be re-hydrated and shared with a few friends. Below a few photos of the Brooks Range. Enjoy the stew and if you are simply bringing it next door, a crock pot will do!

Ingredients

Olive Oil
2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 sticks of celery, trimmed and roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
A small handful of dried porcini
1 cinnamon stick
2 lbs beef stew meat, cubbed (preferably chuck)
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp flour
28 oz can good quality plum tomatoes
2/3 of a 750ml bottle of Chianti

Method

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In heavy-bottomed ovenproof saucepan, heat splash of olive oil and gently fry the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, herbs, porcini, and cinnamon for 5 minutes until softened slightly. Meanwhile toss the beef in a little seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Add the meat to the pan and stir everything together, then add the tomatoes, wine and a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently bring to a boil, cover with a double thickness piece of aluminum foil and a lid and place in your preheated oven for 3 hours or until the beef is meltingly tender and can be broken up with a spoon. Taste and check seasoning, remove cinnamon stick, rosemary springs, and bay leaves. Serve with crusty bread or egg noodles.

Bring It

Who doesn’t love when you show up with a crockpot. Just plug it in and keep it warm until dinner is served.

Brooks Range