Classic Slow Cooker Beef Stew w. Carrots, Mushrooms and Peppers

Today we are going to take a look at making a classic slow cooker beef stew. With carrots, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes, red wine and beans, as well as a variety of seasonings, this is a very satisfying winter meal that will cook away all day in your house as you attend to all the many things we need to at this time of year.





Ingredients:

2 lb. stewing beef cubed
1 large can diced tomatoes (do NOT drain) - If you can use one that has "herbs and seasonings" or "Italian seasoned"
1 cup dry red wine - An Italian or Mediterranean red works well. We used Toro Bravo from Spain
1 - 10 ounce can of condensed tomato soup - Campbell's has one with basil and oregano and if you can find it or another brand like it, use that one
1 - 10 ounce can of condensed beef broth
3-4 carrots, sliced
3-4 small white onions or 1 large white onion sliced - alternately you can use 3-4 small shallots sliced
2 sliced, seeded sweet peppers - I like to use a couple of different colours. Here I used one green and half each of a yellow and red pepper
2 cups sliced mushrooms
3-4 minced cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons mustard powder
1 teaspoon (or to taste) cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 can (14-16 ounces) white kidney (cannellini) beans

Put the beef in bottom of your slow cooker. Blend in the garlic, Italian seasoning, mustard powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.

Add the mushrooms, onion, peppers and carrots and blend together.

Add the tomato, the cans of condensed soup, wine and Worcestershire sauce and stir everything together.

Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. You want the beef to be fork tender so try to cook the full 10 hours or even 11 or 12 hours if possible.

After the cooking time is done, add the can of beans, blend in, cover again and cook on high for 10 minutes.

This deep, rich stew is a meal in itself though it goes nicely with a baguette or garlic bread, rice or mashed potatoes, and some more red wine.

Enjoy.

Beef Shank Potato Carrot Dutch Oven Casserole -- Revisiting an 80's Leftover Roast Beef Recipe

Today we are going to take a look at a vintage 1985 recipe from an Ontario community cookbook for "Roast Beef Hash" and reinvent it a bit.



I came across this recipe in the St. Paul's 25th Anniversary "Our Favourite Recipes" cookbook, part of a type of fundraising cookbook that I love and that examples of which we have looked at before on our cookbook TBT features. This one was to aid a church in Golden Valley, Ontario. The recipe immediately appealed to me as easy, thrifty and likely really good.

While I think the recipe would work fine on its own, and probably would turn out to be quite tasty, I thought a few changes might make it even better than it sounded on paper while keeping the essence of the original. These included using beef shank in place of leftovers and cooking it stove-top in a Dutch Oven instead of in a casserole.

First, to keep it thrifty we are going to use cuts of beef shank. This is a very inexpensive cut of meat, usually bought bone-in, that can be truly delicious though it requires long cooking times.

Take the beef shank and season it liberally with salt and pepper to taste. For this recipe we used four shanks. Once seasoned, dredge the shanks in flour until nicely coated on both sides.

Meanwhile, heat some extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of a Dutch Oven to medium-high on the stove top and brown the shanks for about one minute a side so that they they look as pictured. Remove them and set aside as you brown the others.

When they are all browned place all the shanks back into the Dutch Oven without draining any of the juices. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic, enough water to just cover the shanks, and an appropriate amount of onion soup mix. So, for example, if you use four cups of water, as we did, then use as many packets of the soup mix as needed according to their instructions as if you were making the soup.

Bring this to a boil and then lower temperature, cover and simmer for 3 hours.

After three hours have passed add one large diced onion. Cover and simmer for another half hour. Then add 2-3 potatoes chopped rustically into several pieces each and add two diced carrots. Again, cover and simmer for another half-hour.

At this point the beef should be fall apart moist and the vegetables nicely cooked and flavoured. Top with some chopped parsley.

Serve over egg noodles (if desired) in a bowl with crusty bread and/or with rice on the side. Goes perfectly with a table red and garden salad.

Inexpensive and a crowd pleaser! Enjoy.

See also: The Oliver: Reinventing a 50's Colossal Salami Sandwich -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

West Indian Inspired Two-Bean Beef Slow Cooker Stew

Today I want to share a hearty and delicious West Indian inspired two-bean beef slow cooker stew that is easy to prepare and has very bold flavours. The beef, also, comes out incredibly tender and moist, which is possible with stewing beef only with the long and low heat cooking times that a slow cooker, among other methods, can provide.

First take two pounds of cubed stewing beef and season with about 2 tablespoons of Adobo seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.

Brown the meat on all sides over medium heat in extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan. This takes about 4-5 minutes and seals in the juices.

Put the meat in the bottom of your slow cooker. Coat the beef, stirring, thoroughly with curry powder. (approximately 2 tablespoons)

In the same saucepan used to brown the beef place 1 tablespoon of curry powder into the leftover oil and juices and, stirring quickly, heat over medium for about 1 minute. Then add one large chopped onion and saute, stirring frequently, for about 4-5 minutes.

Add the onion to the slow cooker.

Then add the following ingredients to the slow cooker as well:

1 large (796 ml/28 oz.) undrained can of diced tomatoes (use the herb and spice variety if available)
The same amount of beef broth (you can use the empty can to measure)
1 can (500-800 ml.) of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (500-800 ml.) of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 cloves of minced garlic
One small chunk of crushed ginger
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of soya sauce
1 teaspoon of browning liquid (optional -- this is primarily aesthetic)
1 or 2 scotch bonnet peppers sliced down the middle or 1-4 teaspoons of scotch bonnet pepper based hot sauce (optional...while it does add flavour, especially if slow cooked in, hot sauce can always be served on the side if some of the crowd or if the kids don't like the heat!)
salt and pepper to taste

Stir all ingredients together and then set the cooker on low, cover, and let cook for 8-9 hours.

With about an hour to go you can remove the cover (do not do this before this point), stir, and can taste to see if more salt, pepper or hot sauce is desired.

When ready to serve, remove the bay leaves and, if desired, any really large chunks of ginger.

This terrific stew is best served over rice. You can also serve with extra hot sauce or chopped jalapeno slices on the side.

This pairs really well with a hearty red wine or, of course, ice cold beer!
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Enjoy.

See also: Slow Cooker Beef & Mushroom Chili

See also: One Skillet Beef and Bean Stew

One Skillet Beef and Bean Stew

I love making beef stew in a frying pan. It is an easy way to make a delicious and hearty meal for yourself, a couple or a small group.

There are many variations one can do with skillet stew, but today I am sharing a beef and bean recipe in a tomato based sauce.


First, take 1-2 pounds of stewing beef cut into chunks and salt and pepper to taste. I like a good amount of both.

Heat some extra virgin olive oil in the frying pan on your burner set to medium high. When ready, add the beef and brown all over.

When the beef is fully browned, add the following ingredients, stirring them in and together slowly:

1 large can of diced tomatoes (I like to use the pre-seasoned variations)
1 cup of beef stock
1 can of black beans or kidney beans
1 can of kernel corn (not cream corn)
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of mustard powder
1 teaspoon of browning liquid (this is not necessary, but is a nice addition)
1 minced or crushed garlic clove
a few dashes of Tabasco (this will not make the stew spicy, but adds real flavour)
More salt and pepper to taste

Once you have added all the ingredients bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the beef is tender. It should flake easily when pushed with a fork.

If, while simmering, the stew thickens too much, add more stock as required.

This is great served with rice, crusty bread and your favourite table red wine.

Enjoy!