Americas Tes Kitche Super Vegie Beef Stew

Looks what's coming our way this weekend . . . snow, snow, snow! (No throwing virtual snowballs at me!)

Surprised this Cali gals gets excited for snow? It continues to surprise me.

I remember one cold and snowy night my first winter in NYC – sitting in my little, red, t-top (yes, this LA girl brought here car with her), waiting for AAA to give me a jump, my fingers and toes painfully numb, crying and thinking "Why am I here?" But once I figured out proper winter gear – winter coats, scarves, hats, boots, gloves (not the pretty little purple cashmere ones my Mom sent me off with) and wool socks (apposed to the three pairs of thin cotton gym socks I'd brought with me) – winter became a wonderland.

And 10 years in the Adirondacks – lake-effect snow, sub-zero temperatures and a white landscape for four to five months – didn't diminished my child-like love of snow. I love watching it float to the ground, I love the snowy silence, and I still get a tad giddy when I peek out the window in the morning and see the familiar landscape of my yard blanketed in white.

Snow means so many wonderful things to me – downhill skiing, nordic skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, snowman building, hot chocolate, gingerbread cookies in the oven and the smell of a hearty soup, stew or chili in the kitchen.

With so many folks looking out their windows at a white landscape, and more on its way this weekend, I thought I'd share my family's favorite beef stew recipe – Super-Veggie Stew from America's Test Kitchen's Slow Cooker Revolution.

I love this recipe for a multitude of reasons –

• You don't have to brown the meat, just plop it in.
• It's chock full of good-for-you veggies – kale, parsnips, carrots, potatoes.
• It's thick, rich and super flavorful. It's family-friendly and company-worthy. It's so good my boys gobble it up without a single protest over the "green stuff". In fact I credit this recipe with helping my boys develop their love of kale & chard.

Sure, there's a bit of prep – cleaning, peeling and dicing – but trust me, it's worth the effort.

Super-Veggie Beef Stew

2014-03-16 07:59:47

Serves 8

Thick, rich and flavor beef stew full of good-for-you vegetables. Comfort food perfection that's also guest-worthy.

1. 3 Tbs - Vegetable Oil
2. 3 - Yellow Onionis, minced
3. 1/4 cup - Tomato Paste
4. 6 cloves of Garlic, minced
5. 1 tsp - dried Thyme
6. 1/3 cup - All-Purpose Flour
7. 1.5 cups - Chicken Broth
8. 1.5 cups - Beef Broth
9. 8 oz - Cremini or Baby Bella Mushrooms (approx 2 cups), cut in quarters
10. 1/3 cup - Soy Sauce
11. 2 - Bay Leaves
12. 4# - Boneless Chuck Roast*, trimmed and cut into 1.5" chunks (When I can't find a reasonably-priced Chuck Roast, or to save time trimming & cutting, I have substituted the generally cheaper pre-cut stew meat. The Chuck Roast chunks do retain their texture a bit better, while the stew meat is a tiny bit stringier, but the stew still turns out delicious.)
13. 12 oz - Red Potatoes (approx 2-4 medium potatoes), washed and cut into 1" chunks
14. 4 - Carrots, peeled, halved and sliced into 1" thick slices
15. 3 - Parsnips, peeled, halved and sliced into 1" thick slices
16. 8 oz - Kale, washed, stemmed and sliced into 1/2" wide strips

1. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbs oil over med-hi heat. Add onions, tomato paste, garlic and thyme. Stirring periodically, cook until onions are soft. Stir in flour and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in chicken broth, making sure to break up any clumps of flour and scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Transfer mixture to slow cooker.
2. Add beef broth, mushrooms, soy sauce and bay leaves to slow cooker. Season beef chunks with salt and pepper, then place in slow cooker.
3. In a medium-size bowl, toss potatoes, carrots, parsnips with salt & pepper and 1 Tbs oil. Transfer vegetables to an 18"-20" long piece of foil. Place a second sheet of foil over the vegetables and curl the top & bottom edges together to form a packet. Lay packet on top of stew.
4. Put on slow cooker lid and let cook for 9-11 hours on low or 5-7 hours on high. (Per America's Test Kitchen recommendation, I always try to plan for cooking low & slow. I have found the low & slow cooking does result in a bit better dish.)
5. Carefully remove foil packet from slow cooker and put on a large plate or platter. Let stew sit for 5-10 minutes. With a large spoon, skim off any fat that has risen to the top of the stew.
6. Add kale to stew, stir, replace lid, and cook on high for 20-30 more minutes. (In a time pinch, I have cut this cooking time down to 10-15 minutes with no ill effect.)
7. Carefully open the foil packet (there will be some steam in there) and pour vegetables and any accumulated juices in the stew. Stir in vegetables, taste, season with salt & pepper to taste and serve.

1. This stew can come out very thick. It it's too thick, add a bit of beef broth until it reaches your desired consistency. Don't forget to let the stew come back up to temperature before serving - serving this stew lukewarm is a culinary injustice.

By Lollie - The Fortuitous Housewife

Adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution by America's Test Kitchen

The Fortuitous Housewife https://fortuitoushousewife.com/

Do you love snow too? What are you favorite things to do or eat on a snowy day?

P.S. If you're looking to use your slow cooker more, but often find yourself disappointed with the results, I highly recommend Slow Cooker Revolution – not one recipe I've tried has disappointed. The Pork Roast with Cranberries & Orange I made from it last year for our Christmas Day supper was so delish I'm planning to make it again this year.

And Mama's hoping Santa, or one of my little elves, will bring me the new Slow Cooker Revolution, Volume 2: The Simple Prep Edition. (hint, hint)

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Source: https://fortuitoushousewife.com/2013/12/snowy-weekend-forecast-calls-for-super-veggie-beef-stew/

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