Yummy beef stew...

What could be more comforting after a long week at work (granted, it was only Thursday, but it sure felt long enough), than beef stew with yorkshire pudding!?! And it was the perfect way to start off our usual Thursday night tv line-up. I didn't have time yesterday to cook it how I usually prefer, in the slowcooker, but cooking it on the stove turned out to be faster and just as delicious! The meat was just as tender. So, while Matt and I were at the gym, the stew was bubbling to perfection. It was great to return to the room filled with onion and beef scents!
 Want to know my secret for the most irrestible gravy? Of course you do! So, for your cooking pleasures, I have included the recipe.


Recipe:
Serves 2 - 4 people

1/2 kg stewing beef
10 - 12 small potatoes, quartered
Container of beef broth
1 pkg of Lipton Onion Soup Mix (the secret ingredient!!)
dash of crushed red pepper flakes for some heat
3 tbsp Bisto (instant gravy)

1. Pour broth and onion soup mix into a large pot; stir thoroughly.
2. Add in beef and vegetables, cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender.
3. Add Bisto, increase heat to bring to a boil, and stir to thicken.
4. Serve.
   

You could also add additional vegetables to the stew for taste, like carrots or mushrooms (who would have thought MUSHROOMS would ever had appeared on my blog?!?!). I served the stew with some yorkshire puddings that I picked up in the freezer section of my local grocery store, which only take an incredible 4 minutes to bake! That sure beats mixing up a batter, letting it sit for 12 hours, melting lard into muffin cups, and making my own...

To make it in the slowcooker, it is exactly the same, adding all ingredients at once (either at night and letting it sit in the fridge, or in the morning before you head out the door), and setting the temperature to low. While you're away at work, your dinner is cooking itself, and you come home to that great stew smell! Just add the Bisto about 10 minutes before you are ready to serve, to thicken the sauce, and Voila!

Oh, and for dessert, a small bowl of ice cream covered with Oreo cookie crumbs (traditionally used for making pie crusts, just like graham cracker crumbs). This was one of Matt's discoveries, and it is possibly my favorite ice cream topping now!