Saturday, November 21, 2009

More Comfort... Tweaked Of Course

My favorite part of fall is the impulse I get to cook and bake!  The thought of baking some bread or putting a pot of stew on the stove to warm up my kitchen is so much more appealing than just turning up the thermostat.

*sigh*

So, one particularly chilly day last week I made Sunday Beef Stew.  I followed the recipe exactly, omitting the celery (ick).  And it was good... the flavor had a nice zip to it.  However, I prefer a beefy beef stew and this recipe has a very strong tomato base.  A few days later, shortly before lunch, I stood in front of my open fridge.  It's chilly and rainy out... what to make for lunch for the littles and I.  I saw the leftover beef stew... sitting in it's plastic container... staring at me... longing to be loved.  The wheels started turning.  I still had some stew beef left over, and half an onion (I always over buy, but nothing is ever wasted... as you can see).  Let's see if I can beef up this stew!

In the bottom of my large stew pot I sauteed the pound of beef in some hot Extra Virgin Olive Oil with half of a White Onion (rough chopped) and about 2T of Minced Garlic.  Once browned, I de-glazed the pan with a large splash (very technical terms here) of Red Wine Vinegar.  I added some Salt and Pepper, 3 Beef Bullion Cubes, and about 3C of Hot Water.  Stirred it for a few, making sure nothing stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Once boiling I added 1 can of Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup and about 1C of  leftover Beef Gravy (from our Shepard's Pie Dinner, also a few nights ago).  Brought it back to a boil and then added the left over Beef Stew.  Simmered on low-med heat for about 30 minutes.  Lunch was served and yes, please, I'll have another bowl!

Happy Cooking!

After

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