Lately my husband has made a few requests for dinners.  This doesn’t happen too often and just when I think he’s going to request something new or interesting, he hits me with an old standby:  meat loaf.  Now, I’m a meatloaf fan myself but we still have some trouble talking our kids into enjoying it for dinner so we generally prepare ourselves for the moans and groans, as well as my favorite:  “…but I’ve tried it and I don’t like it.”  Oh well.

Certain things just work well in a meatloaf:  lean, ground beef, not too much filler, good seasoning and a traditional glaze on top with ketchup.  So here is a version I made earlier today to serve at tonight’s dinner.    And, as my husband left with my oldest to attend a Cub Scout meeting, he said:  “That was a good dinner.”  I guess those old standby’s will always have a place in my monthly rotation.

In this recipe I’m using portabello (or portabella, depending on marketing) which are basically crimini mushrooms that are all grown up.  Once they get to 4-6 inches (cap size) they get a new name:  portabello!  You can easily substitute cremini or any other mushroom for that matter into this recipe.  I already had baby portabellos on hand, so that’s what I used.  You can read a lot about  the various varieties at the Mushroom Council and find some great recipes as well.

It snowed here in my new town this week (Monday actually) and I was feeling nostalgic for the my childhood on Long Island in the 70’s:  snow on the ground, sledding (my kids used a Boogie Board because they’re California kids) and something cooking all day in the kitchen for that night’s dinner.  My parents made a lot of the cuisine of the 70’s including stews, veal, casseroles, meatloaf and many of my mother’s Italian specialties.  My Dad loved a good slow cooker meal and beef stew was one of his favorites. 

 I created this particular recipe for the cooktop and it’s quite simple.  Incidentally, my local grocer had stew meat on sale so I added it to my menu when I went shopping last Sunday. 

Beef Stew with Baby Portabellas

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs lean beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 medium onions, cut in half and then sliced thinly

2 cups sliced portabellas ( found these at Trader Joes)

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

3/4 cup good quality dry, red wine

2 tbsp tomato paste (I used Amore brand found at Amazon)

2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth

4 cups peel carrots, cut into 1/4 -inch diagonal slices

2 medium Russet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 cup celery, cut into 1-inch diagonal slices

1 tbsp flour (whisked into 1 tbsp broth from stew)

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Method

Place flour into zip-top bag.  Season with salt and pepper (no measurement needed here).  Mix flour with seasonings.  Add beef stew meat in batches and coat with seasoned flour.  Heat large heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat.  Add beef in batches (do not crowd pot) and saute until browned.  Place browned beef onto plate.

Add onions and mushrooms to pot; saute for 6 minutes or until onions are translucent.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute more (be careful not to burn garlic).  Pour off fat from stock pot.  Add red wine and cook for 2 minutes.  Add beef, tomato paste and beef broth.  Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cover.  Simmer until beef is tender, about 1 1/4 hours.

Add carrots, potatoes and celery.  Cover pot partially with lid.  Simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are cooked and tender.

Uncover pot and stir in flour/broth mxture.  Increase heat and bring stew to a boil for 1 minute.  Adjust seasonings if necessary before serving. 

Serve in individual bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley.