January 2012

I don’t know what the weather is like where you are, but it is WARM here. Last night I went running in shorts and a light jacket. It feels like spring, which is crazy because exactly one year ago we were buried in a blizzard! Even crazier? It snowed on Friday when I planned this week’s menu (I’m back on the planning bandwagon), which at the time felt perfect for a hearty beef stew.

Trimming the roast took a fair bit of time, which quickly turned into entertainment for the ankle-biter squad. Tildy has wasted no time in being completely food-obsessed like her brothers:

They didn’t take their eyes off Neil the entire time. Oh and we can’t forget the other brother…

More than once we’ve had to get out of bed in the middle of the night to scare Felix from the counter. He remembers when we prep, and likes to check the counter for leftover goodies after we’ve gone to bed. He’s become a pretty bold little “crumb” snatcher in the past few months, even going so far as to steal a piece of pizza from my mother-in-law at my graduation party. Took off running with it! Such a turd.

Hopefully you can prep and enjoy this soup in peace!

Ingredients:

1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup all-purpose almond flour
2 medium yellow onion, medium dice
4 tablespoons tomato paste
8 medium celery stalks, medium dice
10 medium carrots, peeled and medium dice
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed, and quartered
2 cups frozen peas
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup dry red wine
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 bay leaf

Directions:

1. Coat the beef in the flour. Heat a few tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meat, a few pieces at a time, adding more oil as necessary. Transfer to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Add the onions to the skillet and cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and coat the onions; transfer to the cooker.
3. Pour the wine into the skillet and scrape up any browned bits; add to the cooker. Stir in rest of the ingredients.
4. Cover and cook on low heat for 7 1/2 hours, or on high for 4 hours.

Makes 4-6 servings.

This soup has such a rich flavor! We’d take the credit but really, it was the crock pot. She (yes our crock is a “she”) does all the work for us. There’s nothing better than walking upstairs from the garage to the smell of dinner already waiting. Plus, with the hassle of prep done Sunday night, I was able to eek out a run with the dogs before dinner. Just a little 1.5 miler, but still.

Note: We stuffed our soup to the gills with veggies, so feel free to scrutinize our proportions and lessen where you feel necessary.

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