Stew drives away the cold

Stew is a perfect winter food and it is cool enough for my Arizona sensibilities to make a pot of the liquid love. I used left overs form a standing rib roast - cut the meat from the rib bones, dropped the bones in the pot and took advantage of the flavor and collagen they deliver. The collagen will help thicken the strew a bit.  But this is putting the cart before the horse.

The first step is to place a tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of the pan, chop up two carrots and two stalks of celery, then quarter a small onion. Add the carrot, celery, and onion to the pot. I also like to add some chopped green pepper though this is not strictly part of a traditional mirepoix.  Turn the heat on low and sweat some of the flavor out of the veggies.Don.t forget to add a good pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. I like my stew real peppery so I wind up putting in quite a bit, but take it easy at the start and taste the stew towards the end before adding more salt and pepper to see if it really needs it.

Now I was using meat that was already grilled, so I had no worries about browning. If using some raw chuck or tri-tip (a better choice) cut the meat into bite sized pieces and drop it in with the mirepoix and brown away. Add mushrooms and about a quarter cup of pearl barley at this point and give them a quick fry as well. Once the meat is browned a bit, add beef stock.  I like to add enough to cover the ingredients by about and inch. Drop in the rib bones if you are using them, if not I'll get to thickening later. Cut a large potato into 1" cubes and add it to the pot. Drop in a couple of bay leaves to add to the flavor and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes.

Make sure to keep an eye on the level of the stock. You want some reduction for flavor, but be careful not to let it all boil away and make sure to give it an occasional stir. After the 20 minutes, give it a taste to see if the seasoning needs to be adjusted.  I like the veggies firm and so as long as the potato appears cooked through I'll thicken at this point if needed. The best way to thicken the stew is to place a tablespoon of flour in a small container with a tight fitting lid. Add a tablespoon of water, close the lid and shake. This will put the flour in solution - if you were to drop the flour straight in you'd wind up with a rather nasty dumpling.  Stir the flour mixture into the stew as you raise the pot to a boil. This should thicken the stew .

Now just let it cool a bit, pour it in bowls over some home made biscuits and send Jack Frost packing. You can use other meats or no meat at all and stew can be a great way to recycle some of the leftover veggies and meat in the fridge while providing a hearty meal for the family as well.