soup sunday: beef stew!

I love Sundays because they're slow and you can fully enjoy small moments. Like fixing a mug of coffee instead of a to-go cup, and you can enjoy it in your kitchen instead of slurping it back on the way to the office. Maybe you even pick up a book while you drink coffee  (go crazy!). A pile of laundry has steadily grown over the past couple of weeks and I tackled it today. The kitchen countertops are clean, as is the bathroom, as is my bedroom, and the living room. The point is, sometimes I feel like I can do more in a Sunday than I can all week. But my favorite part about wintertime Sundays is soup. I make one soup every Sunday for dinner, and I freeze the leftovers so I'll have easy weeknight dinners till the cold days are over. 

Since there's yet another polar vortex heading toward Tennessee and the weather will "feel like 0*," I decided to whip something up today that never fails to warm me up from the inside out.

Ideally, I would fix Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon, however, this amiga does not own a Dutch oven, or any cookware of such magical oven-capability. So, I settled for the triumph of domesticity: the crockpot. The stew definitely wasn't Julia Child's, but it was hearty, yet lighter, and pretty darn good.

What you'll need:

ugh, forgot the carrots.

Roll call: stew beef, beef stock, yellow onions, garlic, bay leaves, mustard, thyme, dark beer, red wine vinegar, flour, parsley...carrots? where are you? crap, forgot the carrots. brb, gonna go to the store real fast.

Salt N Pepa's HERE! No? No....

Sprinkle your stew beef with freshly ground Salt N Pepa (I just can't help myself...).

Chop up your onions into large slices and your garlic into thin slices....

I totally didn't cry this time. Not.

Then chop up your carrots, which you certainly didn't forget to buy at the grocery store...

Aren't they just the prettiest?

Then brown the beef on all sides in a sauté pan with some olive oil. You may need to do this in batches. It took me 3 batches to finish it all.

Don't worry if it's a little pink; the beef will continue cooking once it's in the crockpot.

Let the beef drain on a paper towel. Then add a little more olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic for about four minutes. 

Lord, I love that smell.

Then add your stout beer and some beef stock to the onions and garlic and continue cooking for a couple more minutes.

Beer and beef stock. So manly.

Wahoo! Drunk onions!!

Then transfer the onions and garlic, with the liquid, to the slow cooker. You can have it set on low to cook for about 7 hours, or high to cook for around 4 hours. I chose high, but either would work!

Add the beef, carrots, bay leaves, and thyme to the crockpot. I also chopped up 4 new potatoes and threw those in there for added substance. If you like your stew more soupy, feel free to add more beef stock and beer.

Let the stew sit in the crockpot for 4-7 hours, depending on the temperature setting. Then mix a little bit of flour with some beef stock, whisking with a fork till blended completely. Add this mixture to the crockpot to thicken the stew. Add salt, pepper, or other spices to your liking.

Serve the stew with plenty of chopped fresh parsley as a garnish!

Beef stew: warms the belly and the soul.

Cheers, everyone, and stay warm!

Easy Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients:

• EVOO
• 1 lb of stew beef or chuck roast cut into cubes
• 3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced.
• 2 yellow onions, peeled and chopped
• 5 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 new potatoes, optional
• 2 cups of beef stock (you may not use all of it!)
• 8-10 oz of dark beer, I used Snowman Stout from Jackalope Brewery in Nashville, TN. It's a mocha stout...yum :) (again, you may not use all of it, it depends on how soupy you like your stew)
• 1/2 tsp of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp of mustard
• 1tbsp of red wine vinegar
• 1-2 tbsp of flour (to be mixed with beef stock later...depends on how thick you like your stew)
• a handful of parsley, chopped

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the stew beef and brown on all sides. Don't cook it through, the beef will continue to cook in the crockpot later. Work in batches if you need to. Remove beef to a paper towel to drain.
2. In the same skillet heat a little bit more olive oil and add the onions and garlic. Sauté for about 4 minutes.
3. Add 6 oz of beer and 3/4 cup of beef stock to the onions, reserving the rest to add to the crockpot if you want to. Cook the onions for another 2 minutes, then pour them into the crockpot with their tipsy liquid.
4. Add the beef, carrots, potatoes, thyme, and bay leaves to the crock pot. Add more beer and stock if you like a soupier stew (I do, so I added plenty more at this point...just save some stock to mix with flour later). Let the stew sit in the crockpot for 7 hours, if on low, 4 hours if on high.
5. 4-7 hours later, add the mustard and red wine vinegar to the stew and stir. 
6. Mix a tablespoon of flour with some beef stock, blending well so it doesn't clump. Add to the crockpot and stir to thicken the stew. Repeat till you have your desired consistency.
7. Add more spices to the stew to taste.
8. Ladle the stew into bowls and garnish with freshly chopped parsley; serve hot!