1 recipe. 2 ways to prepare. Things could get wild…

…and they did.

Why? Oh, that would be because we decided to make life difficult and put both means of preparation to the test…unintentionally.

Note to self: never start a fantastic CrockPot dinner at 5pm, when you are already famished. That is called voluntary torture. I am here to be sure that you don’t do what we did.

Here are your options: either prepare this recipe in the CrockPot, or prepare it in the Dutch Oven (AKA- a really big pot with a lid). Don’t do both, like we did.

You see, we had talked ourselves into the idea that since it was a cold, blustery, rainy weekend, which doesn’t happen often in Southern California, we needed to have a CrockPotted meal. Instead of starting it in the morning like we should have done, one thing led to another and before we knew it we had just started the beef stew in the CrockPot at 5pm. Way too late. You just can’t rush a hearty beef stew in the CrockPot; you have to give it time to get tender and really tasty.

By 7 O’clock our bellies were voicing their discontent and the stew still had a ways to go. We needed to act fast; we needed an alternative plan. So we quickly transferred the stew into the Dutch oven and cranked it on high until boiling. Then we put the lid on, turned the heat to medium-low and let it simmer, stew, and reduce to its little beefy heart’s content. In just over an hours time, with twice as many dishes to clean, and a loverly beef stew, we were ready to enjoy a hearty meal.

Hearty Beef Stew: 2 Ways

Serves 8

Ingredients:

3 potatoes, cleaned and diced into 1-in pieces

5 medium carrots, chopped in 1-in pieces

3 stalks celery, chopped in 1-in pieces

8 oz crimini mushrooms, cleaned and halved

1 ½ lb. lean stew meat

¼ cup flour

1 cup red wine

2 cups low sodium beef broth

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup shredded cabbage

4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp grill seasoning

2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp black pepper

2 tsp paprika

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Directions:

In the Crockpot:

Put a few Tbsp of olive oil on the bottom of the crockpot, then add the meat and everything else, except the parsley. Let cook on low for 7-10 hours or 5-6 hours on high.

In the Dutch Oven:

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil, over medium high heat. Coat the meat with the grill seasoning and flour, then add the meat to the oil. Don’t overcrowd the pot, so do it in two batches, if needed. Remove the meat when they are browned, about 5 minutes, and set aside.

Add onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, mushrooms, tomato paste, wine, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, oregano, black pepper, paprika. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cabbage and peas, and salt to taste (if needed), then remove lid and let cook for another  8-10 minutes. Dish up and serve with freshly chopped parsley to garnish.

From the Little Yellow Kitchen,

Chrissy