Cook it Fresh

As I pondered the options for the final installment of my Fall soup series, I realized that I had not yet made a meaty soup.  Even the chili entry was a chicken chili rather than a beefy one, so I decided to finish off with a recipe for Beef Stew.  I love stew and I have tried many recipes but I was especially intrigued when I came across a stew recipe made with orange juice.  Would the orange flavor overpower the other vegetables and herbs, or would it add a nice, bright note to a somewhat stodgy cold-weather staple?  I wasn’t sure what to think and, alas, I forgot where I had seen this interesting recipe so I decided to try an orange spiked stew of my own.  To my surprise,  the resulting stew was absolutely amazing!  The orange added a subtle, festive flavor to the stew and seemed to permeate the beef making it extra tender and tasty.  The added flavors of orange and spices makes this a great stew to serve after a day of sledding or skiing or at a tree trimming party.  If you’re a bit skeptical about adding orange to beef stew (as I was at first) try this recipe without the orange peel in the bundle of herbs; using just the juice will give the stew just a hint of orange.

Orange Spiced Beef Stew

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
3 medium carrots, cut into large chunks
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3 cups beef broth
3 cups water
1 small bunch of parsley
3 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 1 sprig chopped thyme leaves for garnish if desired
2 bay leaves
2 large strips of orange peel (try not to get any white pith on the peel as it will add a bitter taste)
1/2 pound small, red potatoes, quartered
1/2 cup frozen peas

1.  In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, ginger and nutmeg.  Add half of the beef cubes and toss until they are coated with flour; repeat with second half of beef.  After all the beef has been coated and removed from the bowl, add about 1 Tablespoon water to the flour mixture to form a thin paste; set aside.

2.  Heat 1 Tablespoon oil over medium heat in a large pot or dutch oven.  Working in two batches, brown the beef cubes for about 6 minutes, turning as they cook so that they brown evenly on all sides.  Remove the beef to a medium bowl and set aside.

3.  Add another Tablespoon of oil to the pot and then stir in all the vegetables except the potatoes.  Cook until the onion begins to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.

4.  Add the browned beef back into the pot with any juices that have collected in the bowl.  Pour the orange juice, broth and water into the pot and stir in half of the flour paste, setting aside the other half for later.   Stir the stew gently with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned pieces of flour and meat that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.

5.Tie the parsley, thyme, bay leaves and orange peel together with kitchen twine to form a small bundle.  Place this bundle of herbs gently into the pot until it is submerged in the liquid.

6. Bring the stew to a boil and then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer, partially covered, for 2 to 3 hours.  The longer the stew simmers, the more tender and flavorful the meat will be.

7.  After the stew has simmer for a few hours, remove the bundle of herbs and discard.  Taste the stew and add salt and pepper as needed.  You can also add extra flour paste at this time if the stew does not seem as thick as you like.  Add the potatoes to the stew and cook for another 30 to 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Stir in the peas and continue to cook for a couple of minutes, or until peas are warmed through.  Serve immediately and top with chopped fresh thyme leaves if you wish.

There are a lot of ingredients and steps to this stew, but it is actually  very easy, low maintenance recipe.  Most of the work is done right at the beginning of the preparation and then the stew simmers away for a few hours with little attention needed.  It smells absolutely delicious cooking on the stove and, to make things even easier, you can even transfer it to the crock pot once all the liquid has been added and cook it on low for 4 to 6 hours.

Now that my series on soups has come to an end, I will be posting a new Christmas cookie recipe each week until Christmas.  I am starting with my all-time favorite cookie for decorating (hint: it is not a typical sugar cookie).  Please send along any favorite holiday cookie or candy recipes that you think should be included; any help is appreciated!