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Home on the Range
Quick & Easy Stew
...and Delicious Too!

By Seared Lightly

Beef stew takes many hours and several preparation steps to reach fruition, 
right? Not if you prepare the dish like necessity forced our wife Marlene to  do recently.  She had the ingredients, but visiting family cut the time available to do her time-honored recipe. Result, she went ahead, skipping overnight  
meat marination and blanching the bacon. Secret to success of this recipe 
was buying some choice grade Chuck Roast and using Chilean Carmenere  wine (inexpensive, but good).
 

1 ½ lbs. Choice Beef Chuck Roast, cut in 1" chunks    
2 Carrots, chopped
1 White Onion, chopped    
 
2 tbsp Flour
1 tsp Garlic Salt                                                                   1 tsp fresh ground Black Pepper

2 cups Red Wine                                                               
Handful chopped Italian Parsley
1/2 lb. sliced fresh Mushrooms   
                                        
14 1/2 oz. can Stewed Tomatoes
1/2 14 oz. bag frozen Pearl onions                                      
Salt & Pepper to taste

Roll meat pieces in Garlic Salt & Black Pepper seasoned flour, set aside.  Spread 1/3 of Bacon on bottom of stew pot (preferably a Chinese clay pot, then a layer of floured meat, layer of Carrots, then Mushrooms. Repeat  layering in this order again, finish with layer of Bacon on top. Stir in Wine and Tomatoes, season further to taste. Cook in a 325 degree oven for 2 hours  and serve, sprinkling fresh Parsley over each serving...serves 4 very  generously,or 6 with a side salad.

© 2007 Oregon Magazine