Brown Stew
From the Victory Cook book, 1945
The name "Brown Stew" doesn't do this particular recipe justice. It's a savory beef stew beloved by my kids and inherited from their grandmother, who was an intrepid cook with a vast repertoire of recipes gathered from every possible source. Where she acquired this recipe originally is a mystery to me and it was only by accident that I happened across the same recipe in the Victory Cook Book. According to her, she took it to a potluck and served it on paper plates. Someone put the plate down for one of the dogs to lick and the dog ate the plate. Now, why anyone would serve stew on a paper plate eludes me, but it IS good and constitutes "boy food" par excellence.
2 lb. beef (chuck or flank) cut in squares A little suet for browning 4 c boiling water 1 tsp lemon juice (for tenderizing) 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce A clove of garlic A medium sized onion, sliced 2 bay leaves 1 tbsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp paprika Dash of allspice or cloves 1 tsp sugar |
Brown meat in suet (or oil) until each piece is well browned, approximately 20 minutes. Add boiling water and stir meat around to be sure none of it sticks to pan. Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, bay leaves, salt, pepper, paprika, allspice or cloves, and sugar. Cover and let simmer for 2 hours. Add water if needed. Have ready 6 carrots, 2 potatoes quartered, a pound of small white onions. Place in the stew and simmer till vegetables are done, about 25-30 minutes. Remove vegetables and meat while making the gravy. Return meat and vegetables to gravy for a quick warm up. |
Notes: You can replace the onions with frozen green peas ... which in my opinion is a distinct improvement in color. I have also never had this stew with the paprika.
Chuck works fine for this. I think flank steak is too expensive to be wasted on a stew. Your mileage may vary however.
Source
—— Committee. The Victory Cook Book. Victory Lutheran Church. Osterhus Publishing Co., Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1945.
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