beef stew 101 . . .

Are you paying attention Katie????

Ingredients:

2.5 pounds of lean stew beef. Go to the butcher. I promise it will be worth it.
1/3 cup all purpose flour.
1/3 cup olive oil. . . . yes I know it is supposed to be veggie oil, but trust me.
1 large onion, chopped . . . chop the onion and garlic before you start. And don't skip the onion. I promise when it is done, you won't know it was ever in there. OK?
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons of beef bouillon granules . . . you can use the cubes but granulated is easier. I'm just saying.
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper. Now would be the time to invest in a pepper mill.
Six carrots, peeled and cut in chunks, yes you can cheat and buy the little baggie of pre-cuts but I know you aren't going to add them anyway . . .
1 small can peas . . . you aren't going to add them either.

Pull out a long sheet of waxed paper and lay it on the counter. Dump the flour on the paper and then coat all the beef pieces with it

and pile them on the side. Don't throw out the leftover flour, we're going to use it.

put half of the oil in a big old cast iron dutch oven, over medium high on the stove. As soon as it is hot, start browning the meat a few pieces at a time. Forget the few pieces . . . just fill up the bottom of the pot and keep turning them until all the sides are browned.

Take them out and stick them in a bowl big enough to hold them all and go back and do the next batch of meat until they are all browned. Reduce heat to medium.

To the drippings left in the pot, add the onion and garlic

and cook until the onion is almost clear.

Set the timer for 3 minutes and you will be fine. Stir in that left over flour. And mix it in well.

Gradually add the water, bouillon, Worcestershire, and pepper until the gravy starts to get thick. This will take about 5 minutes.

Add the meat back into the pot. Stir. Heat until it starts to boil, then turn down the heat to low.

Put on the cover and set the timer for 2.5 hours. Evoke the house rule. Whoever walks by the pot needs to stir it. Or every 15 minutes or so.

OK, Katie, for you, it needs to keep cooking another half hour and you will be done. So now is the time to put an almost full pot of water on to boil . . . high . . . add a tablespoon of salt to the water. It'll take almost 15 minutes for it to come to a boil. When it does, add the egg noodles, stir and set the timer for 15 minutes or whatever the package says. Keep an eye on it and stir it occasionally so the noodles don't stick. When the noodles are done, drain them into a colander, slap those puppies onto a plate and add the stew on top. Yummo.

Now, for anyone else that may be interested. Add the carrot chunks and over medium heat, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat back to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Pop the can of peas, add them into the pot and simmer another 10 minutes. Now you are back in step with Katie.

Enjoy.