Blustery winter days, when so much of the country is blanketed with snow, call for a hearty stew that can fill the house with wonderful smells and fill those inside the house with warmth and contentment.
This recipe, like any made in the slow cooker, is ideal for a winter day and really does live up to its name - Lazy Day Stew - since there's no browning and everything is mixed together all at once in the pot in which it cooks; the extra-low simmer makes it possible to add all the vegetables at once. Does dinner get any easier than that?
I discovered this recipe in my recipe box, an old army-green metal thing I probably picked up at a garage sale years ago. It stays on a lower shelf on an eight-shelf lazy Susan in my pantry. Quite often, it gets spun around so that's it's out of sight and out of mind.
So recently when I was looking for something on one of those lower shelves, I pulled that little recipe box out and began looking through some of the old recipes - some from my mother, my grandmother and who knows who all else. This recipe comes from that latter group of people. I have no idea from whence it came, but I remember making it several times and getting thumbs-up from all who tried it.
Yes, there is a can of tomato soup in it. Yes, there is Worcestershire sauce in it. If those things offend your gourmet sensibilities, try to get over it and make it anyway. It's really good.
Lazy Day Stew
2 pounds lean stewing beef, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths
4 ribs celery, washed and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 large yellow onions, peeled and roughly chopped
3-4 medium Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into medium dice
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, roughly chopped
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1-2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon plus a big splash of Worcestershire sauce
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1/2 soup can water
1 tablespoon tapioca
Combine beef, carrots, celery, onion, potatoes and tomatoes in the ceramic liner of a 6-quart slow cooker, and gently toss to mix.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic and Worcestershire. Add soup, water and tapioca, then gently toss until evenly mixed. Cover tightly, and cook on high for 1 hour, then turn slow cooker to low and continue cooking for another 6-8 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
Garnish with parsley, if you want to fancy it up, and serve it hot with crusty bread. That's all you need for a complete meal.
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com or annebraly.com.
Anne Braly