Hi friends!
It’s full blown Winter here in Vancouver. Probably the coldest one we’ve had in the past few years. I mean there is SNOW. Real life white powdery stuff and our car without snow tires can’t get up the hill in my area until they salt the roads. Mind blown & slightly ridiculous because it’s so uncommon here! There have been years where the mountains refunded season pass holders because we had such a mild Winter. Oh those were the days…I’m a total sun queen so I’m just being a big baby & whining. Snow is cool, on mountains!
I don’t know about you, but Winter for me = cozy. It’s time to turn on that fire place, have a bowl of soup or a cup of tea & cuddle up, am I right? 🙂
This stew is so perfect for those days. I just use my handy crock pot in the morning and leave it on low for 6-10 hours. This recipe is great in that it doesn’t get soggy and the flavours just intensify the longer you keep it in your crock pot. Perfect for that weeknight meal that’s ready when you get home from work or on weekends for meal prep.
I have a confession though, I’m late to the crock-pot scene…like I’m talking 2016 late. Â WHY did I not invest in one earlier? Â I got mine from my local Costco for approx $50 CAD. I’d suggest you check your local Costco or buy your crock-pot from Amazon by clicking here
I’m glad I got a simple one as they can get quite pricey. It has easy to use settings consisting of low/high/warm & can be programmed anywhere from 30 minutes to 20 hours! Â You don’t need a fancy one to get the job done. Â I hope you try this stew out and let me know what you think :). Â The ingredient list might look long and daunting but really you can customise this recipe to fit your taste but below is everything I’d use.
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Notes
I leave this stew in my crock-pot anywhere from 6-10 hours on low.
If at any point, you come across a spice that you can’t have/don’t have or don’t like, please feel free to omit or ask me and I can suggest an alternative :). I like my food spicy but have kept this so all can enjoy. Please taste the stew prior to serving and then add more spices, if needed. Remember, you can add but never take away spice!
Ingredients
- 1 – 796 ml can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
- 2 large potatoes, cubed
- 2 lbs stew beef/cubed beef (pre-cut from store package can be slightly smaller/bigger)
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 6 cremini mushrooms, chopped (optional)
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 – 2 cm round of ginger, minced
- 1 cup chicken or beef broth
- 2 tbsp grape seed oil or other mild oil (divided)
- 1 tbsp white flour (use gluten-free flour if required)
Spices
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cloves
- 1 – 2 inch cinnamon stick (approx size)
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp black pepper (divided)
- 2 tsp salt (divided)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp sweet basil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Siracha or hot sauce to taste (I’d use 1 tsp to start)
Extras (optional)
- white rice, egg noodles, avocado
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the beef with 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper and flour and mix thoroughly to coat.
- In a cast iron pan or other heavy bottomed pan, add 1 tbsp grape seed oil and turn heat to med-high. Sear the beef in batches until all sides are nice and brown and add to crock pot . Continue this until all the beef has been seared. (If you are throwing this together in the morning before work, you can skip this step and add directly to the crock pot after mixing as listed in step 1. Searing the meat adds more flavour but isn’t mandatory if you’re short on time.)
- In the same pan that the beef was in, add the remaining 1 tbsp grape seed oil and saute your onion until translucent.
- Add garlic, ginger, celery, potatoes, mushrooms (or other veggies you are using) and remaining spices and broth. Stir to combine for 5 minutes and add to crock pot.
- Add diced tomatoes to crock pot and set on low for 6-10 hours based on your schedule.
- Serve however you like but I suggest with some egg noodles, avocado or white rice. Enjoy.
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