Sunday Beef Stew

Beef stew seems is the perfect winter dinner. I remember my mom making her grandmother's recipe in a huge pot, slow cooking it for hours in the oven on a weekend day. Today its a healthy, low cost meal that can be put in my crock pot in the morning while I go about my day. Since its just Mike and I (and his grandmother on Sunday nights) I halve my mom's original recipe as shown below. It's almost the same as her grandmother made decades ago. I've added some spices and left out the tapioca, choosing instead to thicken the broth with cornstarch as needed at the end.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew  
Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients
1 lb lean chuck roast stew meat cubed
3 TBSP flour
2 TBSP butter
1 28 oz can plum tomatoes (cut tomatoes in half)
4 carrots
2 sticks celery
4 small red potatoes
1 medium yellow onion
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves


Instructions
1. Peel carrots. Chop carrots, celery, and potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Quarter onion and cut into 1-inch pieces.
2. On a large plate combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge beef cubes in flour mixture. Shake off excess. Set aside.
3. Melt butter in large sauce pan on medium heat. Once butter is sizzling add meat. Brown on all sides.
4. Once meat is browned, place in bottom of crock pot. Place chopped veggies on top of meat in crock pot.
5. Cut whole plum tomatoes in half. Pour tomatoes and the juice from the can over the meat and veggies in the crockpot.
6. Add sugar, herbs, bay leaves, and salt and pepper to crock pot. Mix in with tomatoes and veggies, leaving meat cubes on bottom of crock pot.
7. Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.
8. When finished cooking, there will be broth in the crock pot. To thicken and create a stew gravy, mix 2 TBSP cornstarch with cold water. Add to crock pot and combine with broth.

Serve with crusty sourdough bread. Enjoy!