The Beef Stew That Made Me Love Stew

I am not a foodie. I’m not even a cook. I can barely pull together a dish that includes more than five ingredients. But it’s a little chilly out, and my boyfriend thinks that stew sounds delicious whenever it dips below 50 degrees. I do not like stew. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because the vegetables sometimes get mushy, or because the broth and colors are so dull (except for the occasional orange carrot which gets duller as it simmers), who knows. My Mom makes stew that makes people drool. Not me. Don’t tell her, though.

The closest I’ve come to making a stew is throwing a roast in the slow cooker along with some potatoes, onions, and carrots. But in order to appease Jeff (my boyfriend), I decide, what the hey, I will make some stew and find something else for me to eat. So, I Googled “Beef Stew Recipes.” How did I ever survive without Google? I vaguely remember using encyclopedias and hitting up the card catalog in the library, but I would have never gone that far in a quest to make stew. Sure, I have a few cookbooks, but how trustworthy are the recipes? They don’t have reviews listed by the mere touch of a button! I found the recipe with the highest rating accompanied by rave reviews, exactly what I was looking for, at allrecipes.com.And let me tell you, it was sooo easy. And delicious. Yes, I said delicious. I loved this stew! Bonus. I didn’t have to find something else for myself! So, here it goes. (My personal notes are italicized.)

2 lbs cubed beef stew meat I just bought the already cubed, who knows what’s in it, beef stew meat 

3 tbsp veg oil I always use olive oil; there’s no veg oil in this house

4 cubes beef buillon, crushed Is it pronounce buillon or bu-yon?

4 c water

1 tsp dried rosemary I didn’t have some of these herbs, so I added whatever was in the cabinet

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp minced garlic, because I put garlic in everything

3 lg potatoes, cubed I used 4 red potatoes; the other ones get really mushy

4 carrots, cut into 1 in pieces I just used 1/2 a bag of baby carrots and threw them in there

4 stalks celery Which I omitted, because Jeffrey can’t stand anything celery

1 lg onion, chopped

2 tsp cornstarch Use more if you want a thicker broth

2 tsp cold water

• Cook beef in oil over medium heat until brown
• In a large skillet (the one with the deep sides) dissolve bouillon in water with the herbs. Add beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour.
• Mix cornstarch with cold water, add to skillet; add everything else. Cover and simmer for one more hour.

You can keep it on low for at least another hour (I haven’t done it longer than that) and it will be fine.