I read an article in the paper last week that had a quote from An Expert In These Things saying there's really no such thing as multi-tasking - people think they can multi-task, but they really don't. Instead, they just move inefficiently from one activity to another.
Um, what?
Clearly the Expert In These Things has never observed a Parent In Action. Today I made an amazing beef stew, and it took me about an hour and a half from start to finish to pull it all together. In that same 90 minutes, in 3-5 minute chunks while meat was browning or veggies were cooking, I also emptied the dishwasher, folded some laundry, organized an arts and crafts box, put away 5 bags of various household items from Target, and put two boys down for naps. But no, no multi-tasking here...
The beef stew was a variation on Ina Garten's. So delicious! (No surprise there, we love almost all of her recipes, no matter how vaguely I follow them). This is the first time I've made it, and it's now a winter staple for us. Here's the recipe, with my notes and variations.
Parker's Beef Stew
2 1/2 pounds good quality chuck beef, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 (750-ml bottle) good red wine (Note: Of course you want to use a wine that's good enough to drink, but not one so pricey you can't stand to pour it into the stew instead of your glass. I found Ravenswood Zinfandel at our grocery store for $8.49 this week (!), and it was the perfect wine to use in this.)
3 whole garlic cloves, smashed
3 bay leaves
2 cups all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Good olive oil
2 yellow onions, diced
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 pound small potatoes, halved or quartered (Note: I used baby Yukon gold potatoes and didn't peel them. The skin is so thin and tender on these they just need a scrubbing and they're all set for you.)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
14 1/2-ounce can beef broth (Note: I used Kitchen Basics beef stock rather than canned broth, and I used the entire box, which was 32 ounces.)
1 large (or 2 small) branch fresh rosemary (I don't have any fresh rosemary left from my herbs, so I used 1 teaspoon dried rosemary.)
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas
Planning ahead alert! Place the beef in a bowl with red wine, garlic, and bay leaves. Place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine the flour, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper. Lift the beef out of the marinade with a slotted spoon and discard the bay leaves and garlic, saving the marinade. In batches, dredge the cubes of beef in the flour mixture and then shake off the excess.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan and brown half the beef over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Place the browned beef in a large oven-proof Dutch oven and continue to brown the remaining beef, adding oil as necessary. (If the beef is very lean, you'll need more oil.) Place all the beef in the Dutch oven.
Heat another 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the saute pan and add the onions. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, cook 1 more minute. Add carrots and potatoes. Cook for 5 more minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Place all the vegetables in the Dutch oven over the beef. Add 2 1/2 cups of the reserved marinade to the empty saute and cook over high heat to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the beef stock, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper (Note: Holy Spicy, Batman! Next time, I would leave out the additional salt, since the stock and Worcestershire sauce make it savory enough, and would use just slightly less than one teaspoon of pepper. The stew I made tonight with the original amounts had some serious kick to it).
Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables in the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat on top of the stove. Cover the pot and place it in the oven to bake it for about 2 hours, until the meat and vegetables are all tender, stirring once during cooking. If the stew is boiling rather than simmering, lower the heat to 250 or 275 degrees F. Before serving, stir in the frozen peas, season to taste, and serve hot.
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The original recipe says "serves 6," but that is surely only true if you're serving 6 linebackers. With salad and bread, this would easily serve 8-10. Happy eating!
