Stewing, spinning, …proposaling?

Currently I’m sitting in a laundromat waiting for our comforters to spin away in the big commercial washers. Yeesh, I forgot how expensive these things are! $4.50 for one load is pretty steep, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do right?.

Also, you can read my latest proposal submission here. This is quick rundown version of the study I am developing that hopefully will turn into my dissertation research. The proposal is for a scant $270 to start a little pilot study this summer, but the meat of the writing is from the larger study I am developing. Tell me what you think, and ask questions if ya like

Finally, as promised in a previous post, I am about to share the culinary gold that is my new favorite beef stew recipe. Be forewarned, once you try this, you will only desire more, and thus will no longer eat anything else but this stew. It is most certainly some of the best simple stew I have ever had.

1 lb good midwest-raised, fresh butcher cut stew meat

1 tsp kosher salt to season meat prior to browning

3 cup homemade beef stock with italian herbage (see below)

1 cup apple juice

1 tsp beef bullion powder (1 cube ground up)

1 medium onion, diced

2-3 meduim carrots, sliced

2-3 stalks celery, sliced

6 or so small red potatoes

1 tbs canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

4 tbs each flour and cold water

Side note: The stock I used came from a pot roast I had done a few weeks earlier. I use a bouquet garni to flavor the roast, so my broth already has a nice italian herby taste. If you wanted, you could put the bouquet garni into the stew, but I didn’t add any herbage to mine.

Get a large heavy stew pot hot over high heat, add oil. Pat the stew meat dry and season with kosher salt, and in two batches, sear the meat in the oil (the batches will keep the meat from steaming…see Julia Child ). Open window, let out smoke but not cats… . Add beef stock, bullion powder, diced onion and celery, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, drop heat to a low simmer and cook covered for about 1 1/2 hours until the meat is fork tender. Throw in apple juice, carrots, and potatoes, cover and cook another 30 minutes until potatoes are done. Mix the flour and cold water together in a small bowl, and mix the resulting paste slowly into stew to thicken. Eat copious amounts with a nice beer and buttered rolls

I think what made this particular stew so great was the apple juice at the end. It added a sweetness and acidity that really brought out a tremendous amount of flavor. Of course, the fact that everything short of the bullion cube was fresh or homemade certainly helped too. Let me know what you think if you end up trying this one!