crock pot love – citrus beef stew

I’ve been having a love affair with my crock pot.  It even sounds a little dirty, doesn’t it?  I have made some of the best, delicious food with my slow cooker.  I’ve fallen in love.  He’s easy, delicious and no frills.  Last week I made one of my all time favorites that I thought you would love to try too (unless of course you’re vegetarian).  I love the mix of vegetables and rich flavors.  You may have to do a little chopping and sautéing, but you just throw it all into the pot in the morning and let it work its own magic.  Viola dinner is served!  Trust me, you’ll feel very accomplished with this one.  Give it a try and let me know how it worked out for you.

Citrus Beef Stew

Adapted from The New Creative Crock Pot Cookbook by Robin Taylor Swatt (2001)

1 cup onion, finely chopped

1+ cup of carrots (use whatever you have – the baby carrots work well too.)

1 cup of celery, chopped

2+ tbsp tomato paste

1 cup nonfat beef stock

¼+ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

½ cup red wine (it’s a great excuse to open up a bottle and have a glass while you’re cooking!)

3 strips orange zest* (use the fat part of the zester tool and create 3-4” strips.  If you don’t have this favorite utensils, zest in your usual manner and make about 3+ tsp of zest.  Whatever works people, I’m eyeballing it here)

½ cup orange juice (duh moment:  use the juice from the orange you just zested)

1½ lbs beef chuck, cut into 1½ -inch cubes (often on sale! Get over it and cut it yourself to save $)

1 cup butternut squash, cut into 1 1/2 –inch cubes (spend your $ here and buy this pre-packaged so you don’t lose your thumb trying to cut a butternut squash…it’s not worth the time or hassle!)

1+ cup new potatoes, quartered (or red potatoes have worked too though cut them larger because they dissolve a bit more around the edges)

1+ cup fresh green beans, trimmed (who am I kidding, of course I’ve thrown in some of the frozen green beans from my freezer!)

1 tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

In a large skillet, sauté the onion, carrot and celery until tender.  Place in the crock pot slow cooker.  In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients to the stoneware.  Cover.  Cook on Low 8-10 hours or High for 4-5 hours.  Makes 6 servings.

+ There are some things that I don’t measure and assume that a little bit more of this ingredient is not such a bad thing.

* I use a lot of fruit zests in recipes for flavoring, so for me this utensil is a must-have.  The fat part of the zester is essential because it makes those pretty twists for your drinks too.

And if that weren’t enough crock pot love, my other lover, Sunset Magazine, just published online their 10 Easy Slow-Cooker Dinners.  I’m going to try the Braised Pork with Lemon and Sage.  It sounds divine, doesn’t it?  Cheers friends!