Beef Stew

Beef Stew

Sup playas. This recipe is from a while back, but I am, in Cooper's words, going into hibernation mode for winter. Things just move a little bit slower, chu know? 

My friends Erik and Kiana were coming over for dinner, and I didn't know what to make (shocker). Erik wanted something hearty, so I decided on beef stew. The broth for this type of soup is typically thinner, but this was more of a chili consistency. Does that make sense? OK, anyways, I found a good recipe by Emeril Lagasse that is supposed to cook for 8 hours, but I made mine in 3. Whatevs, we had hungry people ready to eat. 

IF you want to get super crazy, toss some cheese in there! One bowl was enough for Erik, which says a lot. Cause he can eat a lot. So it's safe to say that you will be full for 24 hours after you eat this stew. It's basically like eating a small child. Not that I condone eating small children. This got weird. I'll end there.

Shout out to the homies who live in cold places - this one's for you!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups beef stock, at room temperature
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 pound small potatoes, quartered
1 cup diced carrots

1 bunch of dinosaur kale
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Essence Creole Seasoning:

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Directions:

1. Set a saute pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan and season the beef with 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1 teaspoon Essence and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper. Sear the beef (in 2 batches) in the saute pan for about 2 or 3 minutes per side.

2. Add the butter, flour, beef stock, tomato paste, herbs, spices, and browned meat to a slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker and set the temperature to high. Cook for 1 hour. Add the potatoes, kale and carrots and continue to cook the stew for another 2 hours.