Ok...I admit it; I like to try new things. Sometimes they go good, sometimes they go horribly wrong, and sometimes it goes sideways...like a fiddler crab...that's drunk. posted a great recipe for Peposo (https://www.furaffinity.net/view/29031967/) and that got me looking about the internet for different variations. Enter this monstrosity.

Redneck Tuscan Stew (Yes, I rednecked it up)

You'll need:

Olive oil (Oh Popeye!)
1 Red Onion, diced
2 Cloves garlic, minced
3 Carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks ( I used baby carrots)
1/2 Red bell pepper, diced
3 Stalks celery, cut into 1-2" chunks
2 pounds stew beef, cut into 1" chunks and excess fat trimmed
Thyme
2-1/2 Cups Dry Red Wine (I used a nice Chianti.)
1 Large can diced tomatoes with Basil
Salt
Coarse Ground Black Pepper
Paprika
3-4 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour

Cut the meat up into large 1-2 inch chunks toss into a gallon zip lock bag, then add about 1 Tbsp salt( I used an Oak Smoked Sea Salt), 2 Tbsp coarse ground pepper, 1 Tbsp Sweet Paprika. Seal it and "agitate" it for a few minutes to coat all the meat. Then add the flour, reseal, and agitate again, adding flour as you need it. Once everything is coated, put in the 'fridge until you're ready for the next part (About 15-20 minutes).

Heat a large stock pot with the oil and sautee the veggies for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a plate that has a couple layers of paper towels on it.

Turn your crock pot on high and apply cooking spray. You want this hot, and you'll see why in a moment. (Also, my stove is not reliable...electric burners tend to run away at times...so I can't even leave water to boil!)

Wipe down the stock pot, and return to the stove, adding in some more olive oil. Get it nice and hot and sear the flour coated meat. (It tends to come out of the bag stuck together from the flour...) Once the pieces get good and seared, the recipe calls for 2-1/2 cups of wine. (This is my Julia Childs moment...I put the wine in, looked at what was left, and said F**K it...into the pot it went.)

As this was coming to a boil, I dumped a tea bag of it's contents, and put a heaping teaspoon of Thyme into it, tied it off and into the mix. I let this boil for about 10 minutes.

While the meat and wine were boiling, I put the tomatoes and veggies into the crock pot, about 2 Tbsp black pepper and got that mixed up. Next...the Wine and Meat go into the crock pot. Fish out the Thyme bundle.

Reduce heat to warm, and let it go for another 2-4 hours. Make sure you stir things about every 30 minutes, and let it breathe! (The Wine is strong with this one).

This would be good with polenta, rice, grits, or with toasted garlic bread.