Autumn Recipes: Beef Stew

Autumn is coming, and with it comes cooler, crisper weather, with winter following hard on its heels. That makes it the time to get out the recipes for warming, filling comfort foods, and one of the old fashioned classics is beef stew. Making a pot of beef stew is easy, can be done in less than 90 minutes, and served with a green salad and a plate of cornbread makes for a complete meal.

Ingredients:
2 lbs of cubed beef
3 mid-sized potatoes
4 mid-sized carrots
2 sticks of celery
1 mid-sized onion
1 15 oz. can of plain tomato sauce
3 cloves of garlic
Lemon
Olive oil
Flour
Bay leaves
Salt
Pepper

Preparation:
Peel and wash the potatoes and carrots, and then chop them down to a size suitable for your spoons. Then wash the celery, peel and wash the onion, and chop them up too. Peel and chop up the garlic.

Cooking:
Coat the bottom of your stew pot in a thick layer of olive oil, and pour your meat and veggies in on top of it. Stir constantly and fry that for about 5 minutes. Then put 4 to 6 tsp. of flour onto the meat and veggies, stirring it up so it coats everything. How much you use depends on how thick you want the stew gravy to be: add more flour for a thicker gravy. Fry that for a further 1 to 2 minutes, and then pour the tomato sauce into the pot. Go fill the can of tomato sauce with water, and pour that in as well. You may need to add an extra half can or so of water to fill the pot until the meat and veggies are well-covered in liquid. Turn the heat up to high and bring the stew to a boil. Then reduce the heat down to low, and add your seasonings: the chopped garlic, 3 or 4 bay leaves, 4 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of pepper, and a slice of lemon. You can create a special beef stew by using other seasonings: try oregano or basil plus some wine or balsamic vinegar for an Italianate stew, or some crushed red pepper for a spicy kick. After putting the seasonings in, simmer covered and over low heat for 45 minutes to one hour.