Those of you who know me know that I’m quite partial to my slow cooker (I really should make that plural~slow cookers if I’m being honest at all:). It’s not uncommon for me to have three crock-pots running at the same time. I’ll usually have my crock-pot broth going throughout the fall and winter, and in another slow cooker maybe I’ll have a yogurt started, and perhaps a soup bubbling away in a third crock. And I don’t make every dinner in the crock-pot, but I typically make about two main dishes a week in ol’ faithful(s).
I’ve been slow cooking for more than twenty years, and I didn’t even make my first slow cooker stew until a few years ago, during the great snow of 2019. The first day we were snowed in, we invited all of our neighbors in our cul-de-sac to bring their dinner and eat with us. We had a grand potluck (I can’t wait until we can have our neighbors over again where everyone will be comfortable). We were all cozy and warm in our house, and it was the perfect time to throw this stew in slow cooker.
I haven’t typically sought out stew meat, but I really should since my kids rave about it. It’s the potatoes; it’s the meaty nuggets; it’s filling and fulfilling. Stews are really so easy to make and can be flexible. I love that the vegetables are supposed to be on the larger size, so prep is faster. I love that I can throw different types of leftovers in, like that last bit of spaghetti sauce that I can’t bear to throw away, or that handful of cabbage that needs to be used.
Even though spring is on the horizon, in the Pacific Northwest we still have many stew and soup days ahead.
Honestly, slow cooking has gotten a bad rap. Slow cooked food is bland and boring according to some. There are a few things you can do to ameliorate this problem. Pre-brown what can be browned ahead and in a cast iron skillet. Don’t just throw raw meat and onions in the slow cooker. There is flavor in the brown, and it is worth it to me every time to take this extra step. Sometimes if I start a soup in the morning, and I didn’t have time to brown the onions the night before or when I put the rest of the ingredients in the crock in the morning, I’ll brown them whenever I can sometime in the day and then throw them in even right before serving. Also taste your food before serving, and make sure it’s especially salted and peppered to taste. I know it should go without saying…
Crock-pot Stew
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes like chuck roast
- 4 Tbsp olive oil divided
- 3 stalks celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 3 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or more
- 6-8 large potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1-15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
- 2 cups broth
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup flour I use whole wheat
Instructions
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Optional, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season stew meat with salt and pepper. Add meat to the skillet, and cook until browned, about 2-3 minutes.
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Optional, in the same skillet heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add onions, and brown, about 10 minutes. In the last 1 minute, add garlic.
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Place all ingredients in the slow cooker, minus the flour. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours, or on low for 7-9 hours.
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In the last 30 minutes of cooking, take out 1/2 cup of broth. Cool broth, and whisk in flour until smooth. Stir broth/flour mixture back into the slow cooker and cook for 30 minutes.
Recipe Notes
If the broth/flour mixture is lumpy, blend it until smooth.
For my List of Soups and Chilis, you can go here.
GO HERE FOR THE COMPLETE LIST OF RECIPES.
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