
Here is a stew that you can start in the morning, leave it to simmer all day and by the time dinner time rolls around, not only will it be delicious but you’ll have had time to get the kitchen back in order. It goes great with a salad, crusty bread and a glass of red wine.

I begin with a pound of stew meat and two beef short ribs.

I added about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a sturdy pan and tossed in the meat. Sometimes I remember to roll the meat in a flour, salt, pepper and herb mixture. This time I didn’t, but it worked fine to sprinkle those same ingredients over the meat while searing. I chopped two Mayan onions, two cloves of garlic and threw them in as the meat cooked. I had a handful of mushrooms and chopped those and cooked them with the onions and meat.
I moved this mixture to my slow cooker and found the bottom of my pan covered with meaty bits.


We want this in our stew so I added about 4 cups of beef broth to the pan and stirred until every little bit was loosened. I poured this mixture over everything in the slow cooker.
I wanted to add carrots and was thinking how I love the way carrots taste when cooked with a roast. I decided to toss the carrots and salt into my now empty pan which had the meaty flavors and a few little bits left. I seared the carrots over high heat and tossed them around before adding them to the slow cooker.

I wanted to add potatoes but not until the last couple of hours; no mushy potatoes in my stew, please. I cubed about 2 cups of taters and seared them in the same pan, then set them aside for later. I think by searing them I will seal in those starches so they won’t become too soft.
Before putting on the lid I added about 3 cups of red wine. The wine adds a wonderful richness and helps tenderize the meat. Everything cooked for about six hours. I kept a couple of cups of beef broth near the stove to add during the day and I remembered to add the potatoes about an hour before dinnertime. By the end the meat was tender and the bones from the short ribs were removed.
Notes: If your stew is thinner than you’d like, make a gravy out of the juices in your slow cooker, a little butter and flour. Melt butter in a small pan, add flour, then add in about a cup of the broth. Whisk well to avoid lumps and add it back in the stew.
Enjoy!