Hamburger Stew

This is the working version of Casey's recipe.

Serves

Hardware

Ingredients

2 lb   (very) lean ground beef
1 lb   frozen, cut okra
1 lb   frozen, cut green beans (not French style)
1 lb   mushrooms, cut thick
1 lb   zucchini, not peeled, cut thick
1   bell pepper, chopped fine
8 stalks   celery, cut thin
1 lb   carrots, cut thin
1 lb   yellow onions, peeled, cut thin
2 - 3 lb   red rose potatoes, not peeled, in bite-sized pieces
2 cans   whole, peeled, stewed tomatoes (29 oz each)
2 cans   tomato sauce (16 oz each)
6 cloves   garlic, minced or smashed
2   bay (laurel) leaves
  oregano
  sweet basil
  thyme
  rosemary
  black pepper
  cheap red wine

Procedure

  1. Brown the meat in the pot.

  2. Start cutting the vegetables.

  3. When the meat is evenly browned, drain the liquid from the pot.

  4. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, okra, green beans, and whatever vegetables you've finished cutting. If you're using wine, add approximately 1/2 cup.

  5. Simmer.

  6. Continue cutting vegetables, adding whatever you have each time you stop to stir the stew.

  7. When all the vegetables have been cut, start adding spices. Casey suggests starting with the following quantities: 1 tsp oregano, 2 tsp basil, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp rosemary, two bay leaves, and 1/2 tsp black pepper.

  8. Simmer for about 1/2 hour.

  9. Taste, and add more spices (if desired).

  10. Continue the cycle of simmer, taste, and add spices until the stew has thickened and the potatoes and carrots are soft.

    However, stop adding spices 1/2 hour before you're going to serve it. If you continue adding wine, stop one hour before serving so the alcohol has time to evaporate.

    Be more and more sparing each time you add spices. Don't add more bay leaves, and remember that it's easy to use too much rosemary.

Notes

Do not use salt! Between the frozen vegetables and the canned tomatoes and tomato sauce, there's already more than enough.

Casey suggests serving this with small chunks of cheddar and Monterey cheese mixed in, and grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

I usually leave out the bell pepper.

If you like them, you can add one pound of frozen baby lima beans.

I've also left out the okra, despite Casey's admonitions; frankly, I just can't taste that much of a difference.

If you can't use wine, try lemon juice. In the unlikely event that you're short of liquid, you could use a bit of stock (beef or vegetable).

Casey also insists "don't forget the garlic bread and cheap red wine!"

Rating

Difficulty: Very easy.

Time: 2 - 3 hours.

Precision: 1.

Source

Casey Leedom
<leedom@sgi.com>

[Go to Casey's original text] [Abbreviations]
 
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