Baby, It's Cold Outside Beef Stew

We received several inches of snow in the last two days, which is a big deal in Central Indiana. Typically, the weather gets cold without delivering the beautiful, fluffy wonderland. I love playing in snow, then coming inside to make (and eat) hearty stews. Today, I pulled out the Crock Pot to make Beef Stew.

This recipe is based on my Mom's recipe for Beef Stew, but made in the crock pot. I modified it by adding corn and cooking wine, which adds a richness to the savory broth.

Beef Stew (first try)
1 lb beef chuck, cut in 1" pieces
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 potatoes, diced
1 can corn, drained
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 3/4 c low sodium beef stock
1/2 c cooking sherry
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
dash Cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp flour

Line a Crock Pot with a liner if you have one -- it makes cleanup so much quicker. Blend flour, pepper, and salt. Coat the beef chunks in the flour mixture, then place in the Crock Pot. Next, add the chopped and diced veggies, then the spices. Lastly, pour in the canned veggies, Worchestershire sauce, cooking wine, and beef stock. Cover and cook the stew on Low 10-12 hours (or 4-6 hours on High). About 10 minutes before serving, mix 2 Tbsp flour and three Tbsp water to make a paste. Stir this mixture into the stew to thicken it.

Tonight, I plan to serve this with Popovers. I can hardly wait!

The stew was delicious, but there are a couple of variations I plan to do next time. For instance, I plan to add frozen peas instead of canned corn and red cooking wine instead of cooking sherry. I knew I would prefer the red cooking wine, but I didn't have any on hand today. Trust me, it's worth a trip out to get the red instead of the sherry - it makes a big difference on the flavor of the stew. I will also add a small can of tomato paste.

So the improved recipe will be:
Baby, It's Cold Outside Beef Stew
1 lb beef chuck, cut in 1" pieces
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 potatoes, diced
8 oz frozen peas
1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes
8 oz tomato paste
1 3/4 c low sodium beef stock
1/2 c cooking red wine
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
dash Cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp flour

Line a Crock Pot with a liner if you have one -- it makes cleanup so much quicker. Blend flour, pepper, and salt. Coat the beef chunks in the flour mixture, then place in the Crock Pot. Next, add the celery, potatoes, and carrots, then the spices. Lastly, pour in the stewed tomoatoes, tomato paste, Worchestershire sauce, cooking wine, and beef stock. Cover and cook the stew on Low 10-12 hours (or 4-6 hours on High). About 10 minutes before serving, mix 2 Tbsp flour and 3 Tbsp water to make a paste. Stir this mixture into the stew to thicken it.