I used to be a pretty good cook, but with just the two of us, we've drifted more and more towards buying prepared foods or eating out. We've decided to try to change that, and fortunately we have a few really tasty recipes that either of us can make and which are almost foolproof.
One of the best of these is simple Beef Stew.
You don't need any special skills or particular equipment; there is only one absolutely essential ingredient; there are a very few easy but important tricks to keep in mind.
THE IMPORTANT INGREDIENT - BEEF SHANK MEAT. This is meat from the leg, not the body. It is not what your butcher usually labels "stewing beef". Sometimes it comes in a slice with a round bone in the middle; sometimes the butcher has cut it into stew-sized pieces. Not all butchers have it, so if you find one who regularly does, treasure him. You're going to cook the shank meat in a large pot with about twice the amount of vegetables, so eyeball it and buy a good bit. If you buy too much, freeze some for next time. If you can't get enough, you can eke it out with regular stew beef, but you'll notice the difference.
TRICK #1 - BROWN THE MEAT. You don't even have to do this, but it makes the stew taste and look a lot better. Heat a thin layer of oil in a heavy frying pan or Dutch oven. Put a handful of flour on a plate or in a bowl. Add in some chopped herbs and spices with the flour - whatever you like and happen to have handy. My husband starts with Montreal steak spice, then adds some thyme and rosemary; salt and pepper will do (easy on the salt - it can always be added by the the person eating it). You could use the spices of a particular area - Indian, or Mexican, or Caribbean. Or chopped herbs from your garden. Now cut the meat into fork-sized pieces, roll it in the seasoned flour, and pop it in the hot oil and brown it. I'd put some garlic slices in the oil, but you can add garlic with the veggies if you like.
TRICK #2 - DON'T LET IT BURN. This instruction applies to every stage of cooking stew. While you're browning the meat, keep it moving and don't let it burn. If you're not confident about your ability to do this, use separate pans to brown the meat and to cook the stew - any bit of flour that gets burned instead of browned can be scraped off. You probably won't burn the stew itself on the day you cook it, unless you forget and let it boil, but when reheating it on day 2, you might want to add some extra water to the gravy before you start, and don't reheat on high temperature.
TRICK #3 - COOK IT LOW AND LONG. This is essential. Put the browned meat in a large, heavy pot of some kind; crockpots work fine, but I like my cast-iron Dutch oven. Add some chunky vegetables now. We use lots of carrots, almost whole, some sliced or squeezed garlic, and onions (unless the dogs are going to get leftovers, in which case we skip the onions, which apparently are not good for them). Cover with water. You could use part wine, if you like. You could also use part tomato juice, or apple juice, or canned tomatoes, but I'd rather add that to the 3rd day leftovers, when I want a change. Later in the cooking process you could add some potatoes and/or frozen peas. Squash chunks or beans might be good. I'd avoid leafy vegetables, but if you fancy them, add them at the end of cooking. If you're using a crockpot, read the instructions. If you're cooking on a stovetop, set the temperature quite low - you want it to simmer, not boil - and leave it for an absolute minimum of 2.5 hours. Four hours are better. You want the meat to be tender and the vegetables to be tender but not mushy. Keep the lid on. If you hear it boiling, turn the heat down lower and add a bit of liquid.
TRICK #4 - DUMPLINGS ARE EASY. Another optional trick - dumplings are a traditional accompaniment to stew, and cooking them thickens the gravy, but if you don't like dumplings, serve the stew with thinner gravy over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes. There are gourmet dumplings which take time, measuring and skill, but you can make perfectly acceptable dumplings with a bowl and a dessert spoon by using biscuit mix like Tea-Bisk or Bisquick. () Turn up the heat under the stew a notch or two to bring the liquid just to a boil. The meat and veggies should be poking up a little past the liquid. Dump a cup or two of biscuit mix in a bowl. Add some milk - a little less than half the mix volume. Stir it a bit. The perfect result is not at all floury, but holds its shape if you take up a spoonful; the surface is uneven and looks like wet stretched dough. If it's floury or crumbly, add a bit more milk; if it's too runny, add a bit more mix. Don't fuss or stir a lot. Drop it by big spoonfuls on top of the stew; after 10 minutes, put the lid on for another ten minutes. Serve. People can add more salt if they like.
Trick # 5 - LEFTOVERS. With any luck, you'll have leftovers. Well, with luck and skill. The skill consists in not serving all the meat the first time, leaving just gravy and vegetables. People are supposed to eat more veggies than meat, so serve it that way. It's ok to eat all the veggies if you want to and leave meat and gravy, because you can add more veggies (cut smaller to cook faster) when you reheat. You can also make new dumplings. If you did make dumplings, the gravy will have thickened, so add some liquid so it won't burn while reheating, and stir it from time to time. I won't vouch for leftover dumplings, but the stew itself freezes excellently. If you have made enough for three days, you might want to change the flavour on the third day. Add tomatoes and oregano, or curry spices and raisins, or any other mix that sounds good to you.
That's a lot of words, but it boils down to a pretty simple, very delicious stew.
Ingredients: Shank meat, a little flour, some herbs and/or spices, carrots and/or other veggies. Biscuit mix and milk if you want dumplings.
Implements: Frying pan, heavy cookpot, knife, plate and/or bowl, spoon.
Yum.
