Beef Stew - Oven, Crock Pot, or Other?

 

Beef Stew

One of my earliest food memories and one of very few memories of my paternal grandmother are of beef stew. 

I was sitting at the kitchen table as my grandmother was transferring her beef stew from a large pot into a bowl or other container to store it in the refrigerator. I was coloring and looked up at the wet, suction sound the gravy made as it had become sort of a pudding like consistency. To four/five year old me, the sound was negative and a bit gross.

"Ew," I said.

"Oh, no," said my grandmother, "It's not ew at all. It's delicious."

And the memory fades like a wisp of smoke.

Beef Stew is a classic with as many variations as our grandmothers had for tomato sauce. Not just in ingredients, but in the cooking method as well.

For me, it's all about a ceramic lined cast iron dutch oven placed in the oven with the lid on for hours - slow and low.

I like to coat beef with flour and brown on the stove, then add onions, carrots, potatoes and celery. Season generously with salt and pepper. Then - here is another area of great variability - deglaze the pan and add the cooking liquid. Sometimes beef broth, with and without a generous scoop of tomato sauce, or a bit of red wine in addition to the beef broth. Yesterday, I tried a better than bouillon product with corresponding amount of water. 

Sometimes I leave the potatoes out and serve over mashed potatoes. Sometimes I serve over egg noodles.

Yesterday, I had my 18 month old grandson help me assemble the ingredients to create a beef stew. I thought of my grandmother and how luck I am to be able to see my grandchildren regularly. I felt a surge of memories, thankfulness, and that Fed Well vibe I love. It's not just about the food, is it? That's what I've been trying to say.

What's your beef stew story?