I made a delicious beef stew the other day, a real one pot delight, filled with all kinds of vegetables and served over noodles. Pick up on it.
The meat to use in a beef stew is usually packaged as “stewing beef.” Actually it is sirloin tip or top round steak. Buy it when it’s called stew beef because it usually costs less and is easier to cut into cubes.
Cube about 2 lbs. of meat and sprinkle it with meat tenderizer to make sure it’s tender. Dredge (or drag) the beef cubes in flour, then brown the beef on all sides in oil in a large pot. The rest of the ingredients include
2 or 3 onions, cut in quarters
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 stalks celery
4 or 3 med. carrots, pared & sliced
1 lb. mushrooms, thickly sliced
Fresh green peas (canned or frozen are okay)
2 or 3 potatoes, cut into cubes
Seasonings:
6 sprigs parsley (or 2 tsp. dried)
1/2 tsp. peppercorns
1/2 tsp. leaf thyme, crumbled
1 bay leaf
All of these seasonings are not necessary, but if you have them, put them in:
2 bottles (12 oz. each) beer or 1 cup cooking sherry
1 can beef consommé
After browning the meat, add the onion, garlic and celery and cook until lightly browned. To be really professional you should tie all the seasonings in a double thickness of cheese cloth (this way you diminish the chances of choking on a bay leaf). Add herbs, vegetables and beer to the pot. Add the consommé to just cover the meat and vegetables. Cover, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Makes 6 servings.
Rizogalo, or Greek Rice Pudding
I have tried a lot of rice pudding recipes without much interest, but I’ve found the following much to my liking. It’s a Greek recipe and tastes just like in Greek town.
1 qt. milk
1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
Cinnamon
1/3 cup rice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
dash salt
lemon or orange rind
1/2 cup water
Scald milk in one pan, barely boil the rice in another in 1/2 cup of salted water for 5 minutes. Drain rice and add to scalded milk. Allow to boil until rice is done. Be careful here, it will burn very easily—keep the fire even and stir often. Add the sugar and beaten egg mixture slowly, mixing constantly.
Add lemon or orange rind and cook for 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Place in individual bowls and sprinkle with cinnamon and allow to cool.
Another little consumer hint:
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Does my editor have any comment?