December was an insanely busy month for us. In addition to a revolving door of house guests, we also had all the usual holiday events and obligations to attend. And in early December, I got my early Christmas present. A night in New York City with a dear friend of mine to see Kevin Griffin (lead singer of Better Than Ezra) play a solo show at City Winery. Since I'd be leaving mid afternoon and wouldn't be home until the next day, I thought I'd be a good wife/mother and leave dinner for the family, with plenty left over that they could have for lunch the next day.
I decided on this crock pot beef stew because, for one thing, I knew my kids would eat it. And I knew my husband would like it and not take the kids out for crappy fast food. Finally, since I had a lot to do to get ready, having it cook itself was very ideal.
I have this Cooks Illustrated cook book for best make ahead dishes and there are 4 or 5 recipes that I go to that book for all the time, but I rarely every look through it for new things. When I did that week, I found this beef stew recipe and the thing I loved most about this was I didn't have to brown the stew meat first. I think it defeats the purpose of crock pot cooking when you have to cook something before you put it in the crock pot, (in my humble opinion). There is some cooking of the onions, but it doesn't make any where near the mess that searing meat does. Nor does it take as long.
The basic idea behind CI's beef stew was to add soy sauce to add depth of flavor that you would otherwise be missing from not browning the meat first. And since the meat is not dusted in flour first, as you would before browning it, they suggest using minute tapioca to thicken the stew. (As opposed to using a flour or cornstarch slurry, which their tests showed left an aftertaste.)
Last but not least, to ensure vegetables that didn't have that not so loved crock pot texture, they suggest wrapping the vegetables in a foil packet and placing the packet on TOP of the liquid in the crock pot. This way, the vegetables don't turn to mush.
After removing the foil packet, stir in the tapioca, then add the vegetables and accumulated liquids to the crock pot and let them cook a while more to take on some of the beef stew flavors.
I had a tiny bite of stew before I left for the city and it was good. I wouldn't otherwise know it was cooked in a crock pot. I left knowing my kids would have vegetables they would actually eat and then checked out for my night away.
The show was amazing. Kevin Griffin gives one of the best live shows I've ever seen and I take every opportunity I can to go see him and BTE play. It was also the first show I've seen since I moved back to the Northeast and the first show I've seen with my friend, Kate, in over 6 years. Though I went to many shows while living in Altanta, with other friends and my family, she is the only person who enjoys the shows on the same level I do! It's very good to be home.
Crock Pot Beef Stew
recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated Best Make Ahead Recipe
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium onions, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
5 pounds stew beef (chuck roast)
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Minute tapioca
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
1 pound carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 cups large fresh pearl onions, halved
ground black pepper
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over medium. Add the onions, tomato paste, garlic 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the onions are soft and brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits.
Transfer onion mixture to the slow cooker and stir in beef broth, meat, soy sauce, tapioca, bay leaves, and stir to combine.
Toss the potatoes, carrots and pearl onions with the remaining oil and pepper. Transfer the vegetables to a large sheet of foil and and fold the foil into a packet, sealing the vegetables inside. Set the packet on top of the stew in the crock pot.
Cover and cook on low until the meat is tender, about 9-11 hours. (Or on high for 5-7 hours.)
Transfer the vegetables in the packet to a plate. Let the stew settle for 5 minutes, then gently tilt the crock pot to skim off as much fat from the top of the surface as possible. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Open the foil packet and add the vegetables and accumulated juices to the stew. Stir gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4 medium onions, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
5 pounds stew beef (chuck roast)
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Minute tapioca
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
1 pound carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 cups large fresh pearl onions, halved
ground black pepper
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over medium. Add the onions, tomato paste, garlic 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the onions are soft and brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits.
Transfer onion mixture to the slow cooker and stir in beef broth, meat, soy sauce, tapioca, bay leaves, and stir to combine.
Toss the potatoes, carrots and pearl onions with the remaining oil and pepper. Transfer the vegetables to a large sheet of foil and and fold the foil into a packet, sealing the vegetables inside. Set the packet on top of the stew in the crock pot.
Cover and cook on low until the meat is tender, about 9-11 hours. (Or on high for 5-7 hours.)
Transfer the vegetables in the packet to a plate. Let the stew settle for 5 minutes, then gently tilt the crock pot to skim off as much fat from the top of the surface as possible. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Open the foil packet and add the vegetables and accumulated juices to the stew. Stir gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2 comments:
Do you put in the beef with the onions, etc.? Do you cut up the beef or put the roast in whole?
Paula, I bought meat that was already cut for stew. If you buy a whole roast, I would cut it into cubes first.
You do no need to cook the stew beef first. Put the onion mixture into the crock pot, then put the raw beef cubes in.
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