Vrghr's beef stew

A very hearty stew for cold and drizzly days, with more vegetables than beef, but a whole lot of taste. This stew is a result of the wuffy wandering through the supermarket and picking up things that looked good, dropping them in the basket, and saying to himself “This is gonna make a good stew!".

The meat department had some local beef that looked very nice! A relatively thin cut, 7-boned chuck steak. Vargr grabbed some dried Shiitaki mushrooms to build the umami. A little time wandering about the produce aisle, a couple of packages of seasoned soup mix and beef broth, and a nice bottle of “Our Daily Red” red wine, and Vrghr was ready to hit the kitchen and start brewing stew.

This is definitely one that will improve overnight, but it already tastes incredible right off the stove! And it goes especially well with a nice buttery crescent roll!

Note: Garlic Garni is a delightful garlic seasoning from the Gilroy Garlic region. Gilroy has some of the best garlic in the world! You can get Garlic Garni on line here (http://www.garlicfestival.com/low-s.....rlic-seasoning) or at Amazon.com, and wuff STRONGLY recommends keeping some in your pantry if you enjoy the flavors of garlic!

Ingredients:
2.5 pounds 7-boned Chuck Steak
2 qts Safeway brand “Garlic and Roasted Onion Infused” Beef Broth
2 large Carrots, grated
2 medium Onions, diced
3 stalks Celery, sliced small
4 Russet Potatoes, diced in quarter inch cubes
1 Lb White Button Mushrooms, sliced
1 packet (3 ounces) dried Shiitake Mushrooms
1 package Lowery's “Recipes Secrets Beefy Onion” dried soup mix
3 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs Minced Garlic
1 Tbs Smoked Paprika
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
3 medium fresh Sage leaves, stems removed and minced
3 tsp Soy Sauce
2 tsp low-sodium Garlic Garni
2 tsp Powdered Mustard
1 tsp Oregano
¼ tsp dried Rosemary
4-5 dried Bay Leaves
2/3 cup dry red wine

2-3 Tbs flour
1/3-1/2 C cold water (for thickening slurry)

Directions:
Rehydrate the dried Shiitake Mushrooms by placing in a small bowl of hot water and letting them soak while the other prep is going on.

De-bone the chuck steak and slice into half inch nuggets, across the grain if possible. Save the bones. If you have sections of fat between the large pieces of meat you're slicing out, slice those into little bacon-like chunks and add them to the meat nuggets. Their flavor is wonderful!

In a large stew pot, heat 1 Tbs of Olive Oil until almost smoking. Add the steak nuggets to the hot oil. Do not stir! Allow to brown on one side for 2 to 3 minutes. Then stir the meat about, and allow to brown again on the next side.

Add the packet of dried beefy onion soup mix to the meat. Stir the meat about to coat all the pieces. Cook for five or six minutes to infuse all beef with the onion soup flavors.

Remove the beef to a holding bowl.

Add 2 Tbs of olive oil and allow to heat. Add the onions, celery, and carrots. Season with a teaspoon of omnivore salt and ground black pepper. Sauté, stirring frequently, until onions are nicely translucent and the celery and carrots are starting to tenderize. Add the minced garlic, stir, and allow to cook another 3-4 minutes without stirring (will slightly brown the bottom layer).

Add the dry red wine, and stir about, de-glazing the pot. Add the smoked paprika, sage, Garlic Garni, rosemary, mustard, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and bay leaves. Allow the vegetables to cook for another five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the wine is mostly gone.

Add the diced potatoes and stir together. Cover, and allow to cook 2-3 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking with the other veggies, retrieve the Shiitake mushrooms and dice into small pieces. Reserve the re-hydrating water.

Add 1 of the quarts of Garlic and Roasted Onion infused Beef Broth, the sliced mushrooms, the diced Shiitaki mushrooms and the water they re-hydrated in. Add the reserved beef bones. Stir everything together and allow to come to a high boil. Stir occasionally, and boil for about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium Add the remaining quart of Garlic and Roasted Onion infused Beef Broth and the previously cooked beef nuggets. Stir everything together and cover. Allow to cook at a low boil for about an hour.

Remove the beef bones (or you can leave them in to keep adding their flavor) and the bay leaves.

Stir together the cold water and flour, and whisk into the stew. Allow to return to low boil (raising heat if necessary) for about 10 minutes, to cook away flour flavor and allow juices to thicken.

Reduce heat to warm, and serve (Caution – stew is VERY hot! Don't burn your tongue!) with crusty bread or crescent rolls.

Makes about 4 quarts