beef stew

After years of making stew that was sometimes delectible, sometimes just decent, my husband finally forced me to write down exactly what I'd done one night when the stew came out perfect. Even my can't-follow-any-recipe-exactly-to-save-my-life disease doesn't interfere with it now, because it comes out perfect every time, just as it is. I learned that lesson the hard way. The one exception that is allowable, if absolutely necessary, is for the red wine: use 2T red wine vinegar plus enough mild juice (like apple) to make 1/2 cup.



2-3 pounds chuck or other beef roast
2-3 medium russet potatoes, cubed
1 large can diced (non-flavored!) tomatoes
3 large carrots, chopped
2T flour
2T salt, divided
2T pepper, divided
1T dried oregano
1t dried basil
2t beef base or bouillon, or 2 beef bouillon cubes
1/2c water
1t worchestire sauce
1/2c red wine
1T molasses

1. Trim beef carefully and cut into bite-sized pieces. Heat a bit of oil in an iron skillet on med-high heat.
2. In a large mixing bowl or a heavy-duty bag (an empty flour or sugar bag works well), combine flour with 1T salt and 1T pepper. Toss beef in flour to coat.
3. Brown beef until juices just start to come through. Remove from heat.
4. Pour into crockpot (best if done in order):
browned beef
potatoes & carrots
all spices plus remaining salt & pepper
bouillon or base
water
worchestire sauce
red wine
molasses
tomatoes
 5. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours and serve with biscuts and salad.