Whether you are cooking for a family of five or for one, making big meals is a great way to stretch your dollar. I often pack a serving of leftovers to bring for lunch the next day and freeze the remaining food in single serving containers. Stews and soups generally freeze and defrost well, and are perfect for those weeknights when you’re just too tired to cook a meal.
Beef Stew
Recipe adopted from my Mother
Serves 5
In Hawaii, beef stew is served over a warm bed of rice with macaroni salad. I’ll write about my favorite macaroni salad recipe another day. I enjoy eating beef stew over rice with a side of steamed broccoli, just like my mother always served it.
Ingredients:
2 lbs. of chopped chuck roast
Olive oil
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
1- 15 oz. can of beef stock
1 cup of cabernet sauvignon
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon of mirin (found in asian food aisle)
2 Bay leaves
1 Tablespoon of butter
2 russet potatoes
4 stalks of celery
4 carrots
1 onion
4 Tablespoons of tomato paste
salt and pepper
Season the chopped chuck roast with salt and pepper (I like to use Hawaiian sea salt). Saute the meat with olive oil and garlic in a large pot. Add the beef stock plus two cans of water, red wine, mirin, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to about a medium low and cover for 1 hour. After 1 hour has passed poke the meat with a fork to see if it is to your desired tenderness. I prefer extra tender meat in my stew so I sometimes adjust the heat to low and cook for another hour.
Next, chop the potatoes, celery, carrots, and onions into cubes and sauté with butter. Add salt and pepper to season. Once the potatoes and onions have browned a little add to the large pot and allow to simmer at medium low for another hour. Finally, add about 4 Tablespoons of tomato paste, if you like your stew thicker add another tablespoon of tomato paste. Keep on low until you are ready to eat.
