I’ll give the recipe for this delicious stew in just a moment. But first, I want to say something:
I’m a grandma!
Davona Ann Upshaw was born on February 12, just one day after my birthday. My oldest daughter, Danielle, actually went into labor on the evening of my birthday, but I think Davona was just being sassy and wanted a special day all to herself. And that’s fine by me! My middle-name sake is doing well and we’re all in love with her. Isn’t she adorable??
As I was looking for inspiration for this week’s Daytime Tri-Cities segment, I thought about my daughter and how friends were putting a Meal Train together for her and her husband, Bryan, to give them meals during these first hectic days of being new parents. I asked her what kind of meals she likes to receive, and she said she liked meals that were easy to warm up and had everything together in one dish, not something that had components she had to warm up separately. She liked comfort food, but food that was still nutritious. And one thoughtful friend, when bringing over a warm dinner, included homemade muffins for breakfast the next day.
That got me thinking, and I realized that Vegetable Beef Stew is a great dish to share in a Meal Train, as it’s easy to warm up, it’s a complete meal, and can be made nutritiously as well. And for breakfast the next day, a tender Apple Walnut Muffin is sure to please any new parent, or other friends in need. Enjoy!
Vegetable Beef Stew
I don’t measure with cups when making this recipe, but by eye, and depending on how many mouths I need to feed. This one is worded for 1 pound of meat, but I usually make much more for my crew.
In a pot, (I use a large 3.5 quart Le Creuset pot), brown 1 pound (or more) of bite-sized pieces of beef stew meat, 2 stalks of celery (include the leaves, if any), half an medium-sized onion, and two cloves of garlic, along with a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper. Once browned well, add enough beef stock to cover, add a splash of liquid beef seasoning and let simmer gently for 2 hours, or long enough for your beef to become tender. In another pot, put half a head of cauliflower, roughly chopped, and add enough broth to cover. Simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 20 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree completely. Add this to the other pot with the meat. It’s a way to thicken your stew without having to add a roux.
Now it’s time to add other veggies to your stew. Add sliced carrots, cubed potatoes, and frozen green peas, as much or as little as you wish. Add a generous spoonful of chopped parsley and another splash of liquid beef seasoning to taste. Add more broth if needed to cover the veggies. Simmer until the new veggies are tender, around 20 to 30 minutes. Your stew is ready to serve!
Apple Walnut Muffins
Thanks to The Joy of Cooking cookbook for the base of this recipe. If you don’t have an all-around cookbook in your kitchen, I highly recommend this one. My copy is literally falling apart, but I wouldn’t want to be without it.
Preheat oven to 400 F and grease or line a muffin tin. In a bowl, whisk together
2 eggs
¾ cup white sugar
Stir in:
1 ½ cups packed with shredded or finely chopped apples, like Granny Smiths, 3 small or 2 medium sized apples. Include the juice. Add:
Fresh lemon juice to taste, 1 tablespoon or so,
depending on the tartness of your apples. While this mixture sits for 10 minutes, so the juices of the apple can come out, whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl:
1 ½ cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ teaspoons of apple pie spice, or cinnamon
Into the egg/apple mixture, add:
5 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter
½ cup chopped nuts, either walnut or pecan.
Add the wet and the dry together and stir just until the dry disappears. Portion the batter into the muffin tin. Yield depends on the size of your muffins, but is between 12 and 18. I use an ice cream scoop to fill each cup. For some added crunch, sprinkle raw sugar on top of each before baking. Bake the muffins for 14 to 16 minutes, or until set in the middle. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing to cool on a rack.
