I'm Back

 

• Just because a recipe calls for it doesn't mean you have to use it (I hate cilantro but love parsley)
• Do not ever believe the number of servings because it makes a big difference on who you are feeding
• Good cooking does not have to be or should it be difficult
• Not everything has to be made from scratch
• Great ideas come from food magazines but be daring and change them up
• Cooking for family and friends is good for the soul

  

  

Remember my last blog? Where have I been? I'd like to tell you that I was on the Amalfi Coast in Italy, sipping a Limoncello while dining on fresh mozzarella, sun kissed tomatoes and fresh gnocchi. Or that I was on the veranda of Hamilton Grant in St. Andrews Scotland sipping a Drambuie, dining on Dover Sole and overlooking the North Sea and St. Andrews Old Course. I'd like to tell you that but it isn't true and if it had been I would have been bragging about it.

No, I have been suffering from SAD, seasonal affective disorder.  In other words I have been in a funk.  I am one of those people that does not do well with the ridiculously limited amount of sunshine that is experienced every fall and seems to last for an eternity.  Lately, it seems to have gotten worse or the amount of sunshine has been greatly altered this year.  Even during the hours that we are supposed to have sunlight, it has been cloudy and overcast. 

I have tried additional doses of Vitamin D to no avail.  My next step is getting a light box but I am not hopeful that this will be the remedy I need.  Now you would think that because I suffer from this disorder that I am a constant sun bather in the summer, not so. I just need my daylight and I need it from 8AM to at least 8:30PM.

  

I don't hate winter and so it causes me a great deal of angst that my affliction comes at this time of the year.  Really winter is just as great a time to cook as summer.  Winter is when you get into hearty, heat up the kitchen with long cooking times, soul satisfying foods.  Stews, chilis, pot roasts,soups, casseroles, roasted root vegetables and most of what we think of as comfort food.

Maybe, because I like to cook, I enjoy the changes in seasons.  Different foods for each season, different types of cooking and the difference each season brings, in what we enjoy.  Really, when you think about it,seasonal changes bring expectations of certain foods.  I would miss that.  

So I'm back because I have decided this funk has lasted long enough and I don't think waiting until April to share some winter recipes is  the best timing.  And the leftover Guinness Stout from this recipe has helped my mood immensely.  

Beef Stew

 

2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut

into 1-inch cubes

 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 pinch salt and ground black

pepper to taste

1 pinch cayenne pepper

2 large onions, chopped

 1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 1/2 cups Irish stout beer (such

as Guinness®)

2 cups chopped carrot

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 tablespoon chopped fresh

parsley for garnish

 

 

Toss the beef cubes with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Dredge the beef in this to coat.

Heat the remaining oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and brown on all sides. Add the onions, and garlic. Stir the tomato paste into a small amount of water to dilute; pour into the pan and stir to blend. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

Pour 1/2 cup of the beer into the pan, and as it begins to boil, scrape any bits of food from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. This adds a lot of flavor to the broth. Pour in the rest of the beer, and add the carrots and thyme. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley. This is great served over mashed potatoes or you can quarter some baby red potatoes and add them in with the carrots.