Stew For a Snowy Day

Last Saturday dawned grey and dreary

By mid afternoon it started to rain

By later afternoon it was freezing 

And then snow began to fall

It was a good day to stay inside

To go through kitchen cabinets

for their January clean

I needed an easy

A tasty

A comforting

Dinner

I turned to an old recipe that I've had "forever"

which came from co-worker and friend Jean

Five Hour Oven Stew

Baked in my largest Le Creuset Dutch Oven

It's a very forgiving recipe

For this time I added peas -- but not at the beginning

Frozen peas, added after I took it from the oven

The heat of the stew cooked the peas

To go with the stew

Cornbread

Made with Dexter's Mill Corn Meal

A three ingredient recipe -- the cornmeal, buttermilk and baking powder

Baked in an iron skillet

Cornbread is really better when it's baked in iron!

The stew full of great vegetables

A Saturday night supper in the breakfast room

Big bowls of stew, a skillet of cornbread and a stick of butter for slathering

We turned on the outside lights so we could see the snow while we dined

I used the German silver soup spoons

because they are so large and so perfect for stew!

Individual bread and butter plates with English butter knives

Dolly feels that a nap is in order after a stew and cornbread dinner!

5 HOUR OVEN STEW

The recipe as given to me:

3 pounds stew meat

3 - 4 carrots, peeled and sliced

3 potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 - 4 ribs celery, sliced

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

              Mix all together in a large lidded oven proof pan (I like my LeCreuset)

1 can tomato soup

1 c. tomato juice

1/2 c. water

3 T. Tapioca

1 can Rotel

              Mix all together and pour over meat and vegetables

Cover pan and put in a 225 to 250 oven for 5 hours.

Note this is a very forgiving stew.    I've used more meat and less vegetables; more vegetables and less meat.   I don't always use stew meat but will use a roast if it's cheaper and cut it into chunks myself.   If you don't like tomatoes, you can used canned onion soup and beef broth and omit the Rotel.    Just make sure that the liquid quantity.    Just make sure the amount of liquid is the same.    This time I added a bay leaf and some thyme.    And this time I added about 1 cup of frozen peas after the stew came out of the oven.    The heat of the stew cooked the peas.

I'm joining Michael at Rattbridge Farm for Foodie Friday.