Slow Cooking: Saving Time and Money in the Kitchen
View Comments I love breaking out the slow cooker or crock pot in the winter. There is nothing like the combination of savory spices and sweet root vegetables to warm the heart and stomach.
Yesterday I wanted a beef stew…I am really not a stew person but I am a chef wannabe and it has been my personal challenge mission to find a stew recipe that I like and suits my palate…and the finicky eaters I cater to.
Well I have an awesome recipe to share with you today. I found it on Jamie Olivers site. He is one of my favourite chefs to watch, he has a casual style and anything goes…I also love that he cut a step out of the classic stew recipe…you don’t have to brown the meat ahead of time…I love to save time and this is a real pain in the you know what step.
I did make a few adjustments to the recipe;
- I omitted the sage
- I rolled the beef in the flour before adding to the pot
- I did not add the squash…OMG it was so hard I could not cut it.
- I added a small cabbage, 2 sweet potatoes and a turnip
- I did not add the artichokes
- I did not have tomatoe puree so I used Ketchup
When I had all my ingredients laid out I realized that it would not fit in my slow cooker so I pulled out the turkey pan and opted to cook in the oven.
I cooked it covered at 300 for 2 1/4 hours and when I checked it to my surprise it was finished that quick.
The verdict…. 3 out of 5 loved it.
I am looking forward to the leftovers tonight and I hope that you have as much luck with this recipe as I did.
Here is the other best part…it was economical…
I visited the local butcher and for $10.00 I purchased some stew beef that was naturally raised at a nearby farm , for $12.00 I was able to purchase all the veggies and the broth. The wine was leftover from Christmas so it was perfect to add to the dish…so for roughly $20 I was able to make enough for 2 full meals and I will probably have enough to freeze for a couple of lunch portions for me.
