A hearty beef stew alternative for turkey-jaded palates

Heat a Dutch oven or deep soup pot before adding enough oil to coat the bottom well. I like to sear the meat on high heat, just below or at the smoke point. Carefully add beef and stir to coat thoroughly with oil. I like chuck, but you’re welcome to use a leaner cut or trim a bit closer.

Allow to brown on one side before stirring and “flipping” to raw side. Add seasoned salt or dry rub liberally. It’s OK to overseason a bit here. Add mushrooms, bay leaves, ginger, and half the garlic and stir. Reduce heat to medium as meat browns and begins to sweat. Gather your vegetables as the meat continues to cook and make juice. At the peak of cooking, just as the juice starts to evaporate, remove meat and place into a large container with cover. Stir in the rest of the garlic, cover and set aside.

Place your flour, stock, and Marsala within an arm’s reach of the stove. Next, we’ll make a roux, the body of your stew. Melt the stick of butter adding a little (tablespoon or so) oil to help prevent burning. As butter finishes melting, begin whisking the flour in. Add slowly but steadily, stirring constantly to prevent sticking and clumping. After all the flour is in continue to stir as it browns. If you smell the flour burning, lower the heat and remove pot for a moment, always stirring though. The photos below show the roux near the beginning and at the end of its journey. You’re looking for a uniform brown color and smooth consistency with no white, floury lumps. This usually takes about 15 minutes for me.

Open a carton of stock and steadily add it to your roux. It will thicken and swell in volume pretty quickly. Keep adding stock, stirring as the roux “drinks” the liquid. Bring heat up as you finish adding the first carton of stock. You should have a loose but viscous gravy. Add your cup of Marsala as the heat continues to rise. Gently add the beef to the gravy and cover, allowing stew to come to a rolling simmer. From this point on, keep pot covered after every addition.

As meat boils gently, prep your veggies. Start with the potatoes. Cut into thumbnail sized cubes. In a separate pan, brown in oil, but don’t completely cook them. Place in container for addition later. Meanwhile, stir your stew and check for seasoning. Add more seasoned salt if necessary.

Next, slice your onion into quarter rounds. Lightly caramelize the rings and set aside for addition later.

Cut the remaining vegetables into chunky, bite size pieces. Keep the carrots and celery separated. After everything is cut, stir the carrots in and reduce heat to a slow simmer. Have a glass of Marsala and let the carrots get tender Ten minutes or so should be fine. Add the potatoes and celery next. Stir gently but thoroughly and let those veggies work for a few minutes. Finally, add the onions and remaining vegetables. Check for seasoning again and lower heat to nearly off. Cook an additional 15-30 minutes before turning burner off completely.

At this point, your stew is cooked. But it only gets better with age! Have a bowl now and let it cool completely before refrigerating. It will thicken even more. If you like it a little looser add bit of stock or Marsala to it when you reheat.

Enjoy!

Some obsessions should just be enjoyed and not deconstructed. The thrilling singe of hot peppers, the shock of cool, crisp linen, and the allure of French women for example. A closer examination would find the women of France lacking… in bras, makeup, and occasionally razors: all overrated entrapments of the bourgeoisie. Some days you won’t miss what’s missing.

For peppers and sheets you’re on your own. But I can offer for your enjoyment French chanteuse Camille. Besides singing, she employs a lot of body percussion (slaps, finger snaps, beatboxing, etc.) in her music. If you like her style, this Morning Edition interview may interest you. The third video below is a candid (very) interview in English where Camille describes her music making process. Full disclosure: the second and third vids have some mature content (nudity and language/female genitalia shoutout) and may possibly ruin your young sons for life. Or at least 20 minutes.

Hell froze over.

The South rose again.

Monkeys flew out of my butt.

I went to work this morning hopeful yet somber. As I write this, CNN has projected 333 Electoral College votes for President Elect Obama. That’s right, Barack Hussein Obama. Stop hating and vote… we did! North Carolina is still in question but it looks like Virginia came through and sent a message loud and clear. That means a lot coming from a state with a notable military presence. The thoughts are getting tangled in my head.

I was on the phone with a distant (and perhaps former… long story) friend when CNN called it. The first thought was I wish Dad were here to see it. He always thought a woman would be elected President before a black man. We’re all wrong sometime. But growing up in the Jim Crow Era and serving in a barely desegregated Army gave him a perspective unmatched by reading the limpid history books public school offered.

What’s apparent is that this election will be dissected by both party’s politicians and pundits for many moons to come. There will be time for that later and there’s no doubt I will add my two cents. Tonight belongs to Obama and all those who supported him. Tonight belongs to the haters and baiters who crossed racial, moral, ideological and religious picket lines to support the black man with the funny name. It even belongs to those who dreaded the reality and fought it every step of the way.

Tonight belongs to America. All of America.

On the eve of history for the US, I’m making a bit of history myself. This is my 100th post… overdue and perhaps a bit fluffy. But in case you’ve forgotten to breathe (for whatever reason), take a breath with me now and eyeball a few pics I took during Wilson’s Whirligig Festival 2008. We can talk about history and the future later.

The slide viewer is about a meg. When it downloads, click anywhere inside the frame and then you can navigate with your keyboard arrow keys. Sorry it’s inelegant, but Flash is a PITA and I’m not figuring it out tonight.